Achaearanea is a genus

Genus

In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...

 of spider

Spider

Spiders are air-breathing arthropods that have eight legs, and chelicerae with fangs that inject venom. They are the largest order of arachnids and rank seventh in total species diversity among all other groups of organisms...

s in the Theridiidae

Theridiidae

Theridiidae is a large family of spiders, also known as the tangle-web spiders, cobweb spiders and comb-footed spiders. The diverse family includes over 2200 species in over 100 genera) of three-dimensional space-web-builders found throughout the world...

 (tangle web spider) family.

Taxonomy

This genus used to include the extremely abundant common house spider

Common house spider

The common house spider , referred to as American house spider internationally, is a spider species of the genus Parasteatoda which is mainly indigenous to the New World, with P. tepidariorum australis also encountered in some parts of Myanmar and Pakistan...

, which was transferred to genus Parasteatoda

Parasteatoda

Parasteatoda is a genus of spiders in the Theridiidae family.-Distribution:This is mostly an Old World genus, with many species found in Asia and New Guinea, but reaching into Europe. A single species, P. tepidariorum is found in the New World, but P...

in 2006, together with many other species. A. veruculata and many more species were moved to genus Cryptachaea

Cryptachaea

Cryptachaea is a genus of spiders in the Theridiidae family.-Taxonomy:Many species in this genus used to reside in Achaearanea, which received a major revision in 2008. The genus was originally established as a subgenus of Theridion.-Distribution:This is mostly a New World genus, with many species...

in 2008. Others were moved to the revived Henziectypus. The genus was thus reduced from about 150 species to about 30 species during major revisions. Possibly even more species should be transferred to other genera.

Description

This genus includes small and large theridiids

Theridiidae

Theridiidae is a large family of spiders, also known as the tangle-web spiders, cobweb spiders and comb-footed spiders. The diverse family includes over 2200 species in over 100 genera) of three-dimensional space-web-builders found throughout the world...

. The legs are medium long, with spines and usually many hairs. Their web is an irregular network of threads, usually in a sheltered place.

Distribution

Species are found around the world, with several species from South America

South America

South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...

, China

China

Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...

 and Korea

Korea

Korea ) is an East Asian geographic region that is currently divided into two separate sovereign states — North Korea and South Korea. Located on the Korean Peninsula, Korea is bordered by the People's Republic of China to the northwest, Russia to the northeast, and is separated from Japan to the...

, India

India

India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...

, Australia

Australia

Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...

 and Africa

Africa

Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...

. Some species are endemic to several small islands.

Species

• Achaearanea alboinsignita Locket, 1980 — Comoro Islands
• Achaearanea blattea (Urquhart, 1886) — New Zealand
• Achaearanea budana Tikader, 1970 — India
• Achaearanea dalana Buckup & Marques, 1991 — Brazil
• Achaearanea dea Buckup & Marques, 2006 — Brazil
• Achaearanea digitus Buckup & Marques, 2006 — Brazil
• Achaearanea diglipuriensis Tikader, 1977 — Andaman Islands
• Achaearanea disparata Denis, 1965 — Gabon, Ivory Coast
• Achaearanea diversipes (Rainbow, 1920) — Norfolk, Lord Howe Islands
• Achaearanea dubitabilis Wunderlich, 1987 — Canary Islands
• Achaearanea durgae Tikader, 1970 — India
• Achaearanea epicosma (Rainbow, 1920) — Lord Howe Islands
• Achaearanea extrilida (Keyserling, 1890) — Australia, Norfolk, Lord Howe Islands
• Achaearanea extumida Xing, Gao & Zhu, 1994 — China
• Achaearanea globispira Henschel & Jocqué, 1994 — South Africa
• Achaearanea hieroglyphica (Mello-Leitão, 1940) — Brazil, French Guiana, Peru
• Achaearanea inopinata Brignoli, 1972 — Venezuela
• Achaearanea machaera Levi, 1959 — Panama
• Achaearanea maricaoensis (Bryant, 1942) — Panama, Puerto Rico
• Achaearanea micratula (Banks, 1909) — Costa Rica
• Achaearanea nigrodecorata (Rainbow, 1920) — Lord Howe Islands
• Achaearanea nigrovittata (Keyserling, 1884) — Mexico to Paraguay
• Achaearanea palgongensis Seo, 1993 — Korea
• Achaearanea propera (Keyserling, 1890) — New South Wales, Tasmania, Lord Howe Islands
• Achaearanea septemguttata (Simon, 1909) — Vietnam
• Achaearanea simaoica Zhu, 1998 — China
• Achaearanea taim Buckup & Marques, 2006 — Brazil
• Achaearanea tingo Levi, 1963 — Peru
• Achaearanea trapezoidalis (Taczanowski, 1873) — Panama to Paraguay
• Achaearanea triangularis Patel, 2005 — India
• Achaearanea triguttata (Keyserling, 1891) — Brazil