A Spiny Orb Weaver Spider, Gasteracantha cancriformis (Linnaeus) (Arachnida: Araneae: Araneidae)

Abstract

One of the more colorful spiders in Florida is a spiny orb weaver, Gasteracantha cancriformis (Linnaeus) 1767. Although not as large as some of the other common orb weavers (e.g., Argiope, Levi 1968; Neoscona, Edwards 1984), the combination of color, shape, and web characteristics make G. cancriformis one of the most conspicuous of spiders. The colloquial name for this spider in parts of Florida is "crab spider", although it is not related to any of the families of spiders commonly called crab spiders, e.g., Thomisidoe. This species belongs to a pantropical genus which contains many species in the Old World. With the possible exception of the West Indian G. tetracantha (L.) (which may be only a geographic race), G. cancriformis is the only species of its genus to occur in the New World, ranging from the southern United States to northern Argentina (Levi 1978). The bite of this common species is not known to cause serious effects to humans. This document is EENY-167 (originally published as DPI Entomology Circular 308), one of the Featured Creatures series of the Entomology andNematology Department, Cooperative Extension Service, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, University of Florida. Published: October 2000.  EENY-167/IN324: Spiny Orb Weaver Spider, Gasteracantha cancriformis (Linnaeus) (Arachnida: Araneae: Araneidae) (ufl.edu)