Leucauge

Leucauge genus of the long-jawed orb-weaver family has about 167 species as of August 2020, with a pantropical distribution.

Scientific Classification

Leucauge Spider

 

Spiders Belonging to this Genus

  • Leucauge abbajae
  • Leucauge abyssinica
  • Leucauge acuminata
  • Leucauge albomaculata
  • Leucauge amanica
  • Leucauge analis
  • Leucauge annulipedella
  • Leucauge apicata
  • Leucauge arbitrariana
  • Leucauge argentea
  • Leucauge argenteanigra
  • Leucauge argentina
  • Leucauge argyra
  • Leucauge argyrescens
  • Leucauge argyroaffinis
  • Leucauge argyrobapta
  • Leucauge atrostricta
  • Leucauge aurocincta
  • Leucauge auronotum
  • Leucauge aurostriata
  • Leucauge badiensis
  • Leucauge beata
  • Leucauge bituberculata
  • Leucauge blanda
  • Leucauge bontoc
  • Leucauge branicki
  • Leucauge brevitibialis
  • Leucauge cabindae
  • Leucauge camelina
  • Leucauge camerunensis
  • Leucauge capelloi
  • Leucauge caucaensis
  • Leucauge caudata
  • Leucauge celebesiana
  • Leucauge clarki
  • Leucauge comorensis
  • Leucauge conifera
  • Leucauge cordivittata
  • Leucauge crucinota
  • Leucauge curta
  • Leucauge decorata
  • Leucauge digna
  • Leucauge ditissima
  • Leucauge dorsotuberculata
  • Leucauge dromedaria
  • Leucauge emertoni
  • Leucauge eua
  • Leucauge fasciiventris
  • Leucauge festiva
  • Leucauge fibulata
  • Leucauge fishoekensis
  • Leucauge formosa
  • Leucauge fragilis
  • Leucauge frequens
  • Leucauge funebris
  • Leucauge gemminipunctata
  • Leucauge granulata
  • Leucauge hasselti
  • Leucauge hebridisiana
  • Leucauge henryi
  • Leucauge idonea
  • Leucauge ilatele
  • Leucauge insularis
  • Leucauge iraray
  • Leucauge isabela
  • Leucauge japonica
  • Leucauge kibonotensis
  • Leucauge lamperti
  • Leucauge lechei
  • Leucauge lehmannella
  • Leucauge leprosa
  • Leucauge levanderi
  • Leucauge linyphia
  • Leucauge liui
  • Leucauge loltuna
  • Leucauge lombokiana
  • Leucauge longimana
  • Leucauge longipes
  • Leucauge longula
  • Leucauge macrochoera
  • Leucauge mahabascapea
  • Leucauge mahurica
  • Leucauge malkini
  • Leucauge mammilla
  • Leucauge margaritata
  • Leucauge mariana
  • Leucauge medjensis
  • Leucauge mendanai
  • Leucauge meruensis
  • Leucauge mesomelas
  • Leucauge moerens
  • Leucauge moheliensis
  • Leucauge nagashimai
  • Leucauge nanshan
  • Leucauge nicobarica
  • Leucauge nigricauda
  • Leucauge nigrocincta
  • Leucauge nigrotarsalis
  • Leucauge obscurella
  • Leucauge opiparis
  • Leucauge papuana
  • Leucauge parangscipinia
  • Leucauge pinarensis
  • Leucauge polita
  • Leucauge popayanensis
  • Leucauge prodiga
  • Leucauge profundifoveata
  • Leucauge pulcherrima
  • Leucauge pusilla
  • Leucauge quadrifasciata
  • Leucauge quadripenicillata
  • Leucauge regnyi
  • Leucauge reimoseri
  • Leucauge roseosignata
  • Leucauge rubripleura
  • Leucauge rubrotrivittata
  • Leucauge ruwenzorensis
  • Leucauge sabahan
  • Leucauge saphes
  • Leucauge scalaris
  • Leucauge semiventris
  • Leucauge senegalensis
  • Leucauge severa
  • Leucauge signiventris
  • Leucauge simplex
  • Leucauge soeensis
  • Leucauge speciosissima
  • Leucauge spiculosa
  • Leucauge splendens
  • Leucauge stictopyga
  • Leucauge striatipes
  • Leucauge subadulta
  • Leucauge subblanda
  • Leucauge subgemmea
  • Leucauge superba
  • Leucauge synthetica
  • Leucauge taczanowskii
  • Leucauge taiwanica
  • Leucauge talagangiba
  • Leucauge tanikawai
  • Leucauge tellervo
  • Leucauge tengchongensis
  • Leucauge tessellata
  • Leucauge tetragnathella
  • Leucauge thomeensis
  • Leucauge tredecimguttata
  • Leucauge tristicta
  • Leucauge tupaqamaru
  • Leucauge turbida
  • Leucauge uberta
  • Leucauge undulata
  • Leucauge ungulata
  • Orchard Orbweaver (Leucauge venusta)
  • Leucauge vibrabunda
  • Leucauge virginis
  • Leucauge viridecolorata
  • Leucauge volupis
  • Leucauge wangi
  • Leucauge wokamara
  • Leucauge wulingensis
  • Leucauge xiaoen
  • Leucauge xiuying
  • Leucauge zizhong

Physical Description and Identification

Adults

Size: Females spiders are 0.2 – 0.5 inches (0.5 – 1.2 cm) and males are smaller with around 0.1 inches (0.2 cm).

Color: Spiders of the genus are generally bright, coming in colors of orange, silver, green, and brown. However, the females have distinct black, yellow, and silver markings, distinguishing them from their male counterparts.

Other Characteristic Features: On the femur bone of their fourth legs, curved and slender hairs can be seen.

Eggs

300-500 eggs are kept inside an egg sac made with loose orange silk. The sac is usually created near twigs or leaves. The eggs are 0.35 inches (0.01 cm) in size on average.

Spiderlings

After overwintering, spiderlings come out and disperse in the spring season.

The Web

Their web is similar to orbs slanting at a 45° angle. The spider chooses to sit in the middle of the web, facing downwards.

Are Spiders of the Leucauge Genus Venomous

Their bite has a low venom, causing not more than skin irritation to people with allergies.

Quick Facts

Distribution India, Costa Rica, China, Russia, Japan, Taiwan, New Guinea, and Sulawesi Island of Indonesia
Habitat Moist places
Diet Moths, flies, wasps, beetles, mosquitoes
Web Type Orb-web
Lifespan Females live around 1 year and males often gets eaten by the female post mating

Did You Know

  • Scottish zoologist Adam White documented the genus for the first time in his book ‘Description of New or Little Known Arachnida’.
  • In 1832, Charles Darwin took the first specimen of the genus, now known as Leucauge argyrobapta. He was the one who recommended the genus name.
  • The name of the genus is originated from the Greek word ‘Leukos’, meaning white.

Image Credits: arachne.org.au

Leucauge genus of the long-jawed orb-weaver family has about 167 species as of August 2020, with a pantropical distribution.

Leucauge Spider

 

Spiders Belonging to this Genus

  • Leucauge abbajae
  • Leucauge abyssinica
  • Leucauge acuminata
  • Leucauge albomaculata
  • Leucauge amanica
  • Leucauge analis
  • Leucauge annulipedella
  • Leucauge apicata
  • Leucauge arbitrariana
  • Leucauge argentea
  • Leucauge argenteanigra
  • Leucauge argentina
  • Leucauge argyra
  • Leucauge argyrescens
  • Leucauge argyroaffinis
  • Leucauge argyrobapta
  • Leucauge atrostricta
  • Leucauge aurocincta
  • Leucauge auronotum
  • Leucauge aurostriata
  • Leucauge badiensis
  • Leucauge beata
  • Leucauge bituberculata
  • Leucauge blanda
  • Leucauge bontoc
  • Leucauge branicki
  • Leucauge brevitibialis
  • Leucauge cabindae
  • Leucauge camelina
  • Leucauge camerunensis
  • Leucauge capelloi
  • Leucauge caucaensis
  • Leucauge caudata
  • Leucauge celebesiana
  • Leucauge clarki
  • Leucauge comorensis
  • Leucauge conifera
  • Leucauge cordivittata
  • Leucauge crucinota
  • Leucauge curta
  • Leucauge decorata
  • Leucauge digna
  • Leucauge ditissima
  • Leucauge dorsotuberculata
  • Leucauge dromedaria
  • Leucauge emertoni
  • Leucauge eua
  • Leucauge fasciiventris
  • Leucauge festiva
  • Leucauge fibulata
  • Leucauge fishoekensis
  • Leucauge formosa
  • Leucauge fragilis
  • Leucauge frequens
  • Leucauge funebris
  • Leucauge gemminipunctata
  • Leucauge granulata
  • Leucauge hasselti
  • Leucauge hebridisiana
  • Leucauge henryi
  • Leucauge idonea
  • Leucauge ilatele
  • Leucauge insularis
  • Leucauge iraray
  • Leucauge isabela
  • Leucauge japonica
  • Leucauge kibonotensis
  • Leucauge lamperti
  • Leucauge lechei
  • Leucauge lehmannella
  • Leucauge leprosa
  • Leucauge levanderi
  • Leucauge linyphia
  • Leucauge liui
  • Leucauge loltuna
  • Leucauge lombokiana
  • Leucauge longimana
  • Leucauge longipes
  • Leucauge longula
  • Leucauge macrochoera
  • Leucauge mahabascapea
  • Leucauge mahurica
  • Leucauge malkini
  • Leucauge mammilla
  • Leucauge margaritata
  • Leucauge mariana
  • Leucauge medjensis
  • Leucauge mendanai
  • Leucauge meruensis
  • Leucauge mesomelas
  • Leucauge moerens
  • Leucauge moheliensis
  • Leucauge nagashimai
  • Leucauge nanshan
  • Leucauge nicobarica
  • Leucauge nigricauda
  • Leucauge nigrocincta
  • Leucauge nigrotarsalis
  • Leucauge obscurella
  • Leucauge opiparis
  • Leucauge papuana
  • Leucauge parangscipinia
  • Leucauge pinarensis
  • Leucauge polita
  • Leucauge popayanensis
  • Leucauge prodiga
  • Leucauge profundifoveata
  • Leucauge pulcherrima
  • Leucauge pusilla
  • Leucauge quadrifasciata
  • Leucauge quadripenicillata
  • Leucauge regnyi
  • Leucauge reimoseri
  • Leucauge roseosignata
  • Leucauge rubripleura
  • Leucauge rubrotrivittata
  • Leucauge ruwenzorensis
  • Leucauge sabahan
  • Leucauge saphes
  • Leucauge scalaris
  • Leucauge semiventris
  • Leucauge senegalensis
  • Leucauge severa
  • Leucauge signiventris
  • Leucauge simplex
  • Leucauge soeensis
  • Leucauge speciosissima
  • Leucauge spiculosa
  • Leucauge splendens
  • Leucauge stictopyga
  • Leucauge striatipes
  • Leucauge subadulta
  • Leucauge subblanda
  • Leucauge subgemmea
  • Leucauge superba
  • Leucauge synthetica
  • Leucauge taczanowskii
  • Leucauge taiwanica
  • Leucauge talagangiba
  • Leucauge tanikawai
  • Leucauge tellervo
  • Leucauge tengchongensis
  • Leucauge tessellata
  • Leucauge tetragnathella
  • Leucauge thomeensis
  • Leucauge tredecimguttata
  • Leucauge tristicta
  • Leucauge tupaqamaru
  • Leucauge turbida
  • Leucauge uberta
  • Leucauge undulata
  • Leucauge ungulata
  • Orchard Orbweaver (Leucauge venusta)
  • Leucauge vibrabunda
  • Leucauge virginis
  • Leucauge viridecolorata
  • Leucauge volupis
  • Leucauge wangi
  • Leucauge wokamara
  • Leucauge wulingensis
  • Leucauge xiaoen
  • Leucauge xiuying
  • Leucauge zizhong

Physical Description and Identification

Adults

Size: Females spiders are 0.2 – 0.5 inches (0.5 – 1.2 cm) and males are smaller with around 0.1 inches (0.2 cm).

Color: Spiders of the genus are generally bright, coming in colors of orange, silver, green, and brown. However, the females have distinct black, yellow, and silver markings, distinguishing them from their male counterparts.

Other Characteristic Features: On the femur bone of their fourth legs, curved and slender hairs can be seen.

Eggs

300-500 eggs are kept inside an egg sac made with loose orange silk. The sac is usually created near twigs or leaves. The eggs are 0.35 inches (0.01 cm) in size on average.

Spiderlings

After overwintering, spiderlings come out and disperse in the spring season.

The Web

Their web is similar to orbs slanting at a 45° angle. The spider chooses to sit in the middle of the web, facing downwards.

Are Spiders of the Leucauge Genus Venomous

Their bite has a low venom, causing not more than skin irritation to people with allergies.

Quick Facts

Distribution India, Costa Rica, China, Russia, Japan, Taiwan, New Guinea, and Sulawesi Island of Indonesia
Habitat Moist places
Diet Moths, flies, wasps, beetles, mosquitoes
Web Type Orb-web
Lifespan Females live around 1 year and males often gets eaten by the female post mating

Did You Know

  • Scottish zoologist Adam White documented the genus for the first time in his book ‘Description of New or Little Known Arachnida’.
  • In 1832, Charles Darwin took the first specimen of the genus, now known as Leucauge argyrobapta. He was the one who recommended the genus name.
  • The name of the genus is originated from the Greek word ‘Leukos’, meaning white.

Image Credits: arachne.org.au

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