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Home » Guide » Arthropods (Arthropoda) » Chelicerates (Chelicerata) » Arachnids (Arachnida) » Spiders (Araneae) » True Spiders (Araneomorphae) » Entelegynae » Long-jawed Orb Weavers (Tetragnathidae)

Family Tetragnathidae - Long-jawed Orb Weavers

Classification · Synonyms and other taxonomic changes · Explanation of Names · Numbers · Size · Identification · Range · Habitat · Food · Remarks · See Also · Print References · Internet References · Works Cited

Classification

Kingdom Animalia (Animals)

Phylum Arthropoda (Arthropods)

Subphylum Chelicerata (Chelicerates)

Class Arachnida (Arachnids)

Order Araneae (Spiders)

Infraorder Araneomorphae (True Spiders)

No Taxon (Entelegynae)

Family Tetragnathidae (Long-jawed Orb Weavers)

Synonyms and other taxonomic changes

First described in 1866 by Franz Anton Menge

Explanation of Names

The scientific name is from the genus Tetragnatha

The common name is due to the extended length of the chelicerae (jaws) compared to those of other orb weavers (Araneidae).

Compare a long-jawed orb weaver:

to a normal orb weaver (NOTE: the black portion in front of the face is the jaws. The small leg-like appendages in front of the face are not jaws, but rather pedipalps):

Numbers

Exact distribution within these countries will be added when time permits.

9 genera (ranges given are only for the area covered by BugGuide):

Azilia - 1 species in the USA

affinis - USA

Dolichognatha - 1 species in the USA/Canada.

pentagona - USA

Glenognatha - 4 species in the USA/Canada.

emertoni - USA

foxi - Canada, USA

heleios - USA

iviei - USA

Leucauge - 2 species in the USA/Canada.

argyra - USA

venusta - USA

Meta - 2 species in the USA/Canada. (Cave Orb Weavers)

dolloff - USA

ovalis - USA, Canada

Metellina - 3 species in the USA/Canada.

curtisi - USA, Canada

mimetoides

segmentata - Canada (Introduced- may include USA as well)

Metleucauge - 1 species in the USA.

eldorado - USA

Pachygnatha - 8 species in the USA/Canada.

autumnalis - USA, Canada

brevis - USA, Canada

calusa - USA

clercki - Holarctic

dorothea - USA, Canada

furcillata - USA

tristriata - USA, Canada

xanthostoma - USA, Canada

Tetragnatha 14 species, 3 subspecies in the USA/Canada.

branda - USA

caudata - USA, Canada

dearmata - Holarctic

elongata - USA, Canada

elongata debilis - USA

elongata principalis - USA

elongata undulata - USA

extensa - Holarctic

gracilis - USA

guatemalensis - USA, Canada

laboriosa - USA, Canada

nitens - USA

pallescens - USA, Canada

shoshone - USA, Canada

straminea - USA, Canada

vermiformis - USA, Canada

versicolor - USA, Canada

viridis - USA, Canada

Size

1.2-25.0 mm(1)

Identification

Not diagnostic, but some helpful features:(1)

Legs often long, with leg I the longest.

Chelicerae (jaws) often enlarged in males.

3 claws

8 eyes in 2 rows

Ecribellate

The Web:

The long-jawed orb-weaver webs are orb-shaped (concentric circles, with 12-20 spokes(2) radiating from the center to anchor points (such as tree branches)). The angle of the web is typically somewhere between vertical and horizontal.

The Spiders:

They vary in appearance, but those most commonly found are long-legged, thin-bodied spiders. When at rest, they may cling lengthwise along a twig or blade of grass, holding on with the short third pair of legs. The long pairs of legs are extended.

Then there is the Orchard Spider (Leucauge Venusta):

Range

Throughout the United States and Southern Canada.

Habitat

Members of the genus Tetragnatha typically live in meadows near water, and around the banks of waterways (rivers, lakes, swamps), usually on low-hanging branches and reeds.

The orchard spider (Leucauge venusta) is found throughout the woods of the Eastern US.

Food

Primarily insects.

Remarks

Bites:

These spiders will bite if threatened, but the bite is not harmful to people. It is recommended that they not be picked up, but rather observed in their natural environment (e.g. - on their web).

See Also

Araneidae - Orb Weavers

Linyphiidae - Sheetweb and Dwarf Spiders

Theridiidae - Cobweb Spiders

Print References

Schriften der Naturforschenden Gesellschaft in Danzig, v.1,nos. 3-4,Preussichen Spinnen, p.90 (Original Description) Menge's original description of the family (in German)

Internet References

World Spider Catalog

iNaturalist

GBIF

Works Cited

1.	Spiders of North America: An Identification Manual D. Ubick, P. Paquin, P.E. Cushing and V. Roth (eds). 2005. American Arachnological Society.

2.	Spiders and Their Kin: A Golden Guide from St. Martin's Press Herbert W. Levi, Lorna R. Levi, Nicholas Strekalovsky. 2001. St. Martin's Press.

Contributed by Troy Bartlett on 16 February, 2004 - 1:20pm
Additional contributions by Hannah Nendick-Mason, Lynette Elliott, Christopher Hunt, Chuck Entz, Nathaniel Green
Last updated 11 March, 2021 - 12:22pm

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