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Home » Guide » Arthropods (Arthropoda) » Chelicerates (Chelicerata) » Arachnids (Arachnida) » Spiders (Araneae) » True Spiders (Araneomorphae) » Entelegynae » Cobweb Spiders (Theridiidae) » Steatoda

Genus Steatoda

Classification · Numbers · Size · Identification · Range · Remarks · See Also · Print References · Internet References · Works Cited

Funnel making 'brown widow' spider, Steatoda? - Steatoda nobilis - female

Small male spider with brown abdomen and shiny black cephalothorax - Steatoda - male

Wall spider. Thick extensive web emanating from a funnel-shaped area in which the spider normal resides. - Steatoda nobilis

Classification

Kingdom Animalia (Animals)

Phylum Arthropoda (Arthropods)

Subphylum Chelicerata (Chelicerates)

Class Arachnida (Arachnids)

Order Araneae (Spiders)

Infraorder Araneomorphae (True Spiders)

No Taxon (Entelegynae)

Family Theridiidae (Cobweb Spiders)

Genus Steatoda

Numbers

20 species in our region. (1)

19 species and one subspecies according to the World Spider Catalog. Changes in taxonomy may be the reason for this discrepancy. S. americana and pulchra have been moved to Asagena.

Size

Females: 2.5-11.0 mm; Males: 2.0-7.5 mm. (1)

Identification

Coloration purple-brown, often with white line around anterior of abdomen and other markings. Large colulus.

Steatoda variata

Range

More specific range information will be added when time/resources allow.

S. alamosa

S. albomaculata - Southern Canada to central Mexico

S. apacheana

S. atascadera

S. bipunctata

S. borealis (only one in AK)

S. castanea (Canada)

S. erigoniformis (tropical)

S. grandis

S. grossa

S. hespera - Western United States

S. mexicana

S. nobilis - Ventura County, CA

S. palomara - San Diego County, CA

S. punctulata

S. quadrimaculata

S. transversa

S. triangulosa - Widespread in the United States.

S. variata - UT, AZ, CO, NM, western TX, Mexico

- variata china - very southern tip of TX

S. washona

Remarks

Steatoda & Asagena Article

See Also

Asagena

Print References

"The Spider Genera Steatoda and Enoplognatha in America", Levi, Psyche, 1962. (not that helpful)

Internet References

digitallibrary.amnh.org - PDF Article, The fulva group of the spider genus Steatoda (Araneae, Theridiidae). Gertsch, 1960. (good reference)

biodiversitylibrary.org - PDF Article, Spider Genera Crustulina and Steatoda. Levi, 1957. (good reference)

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.

Contributed by john and jane balaban on 10 September, 2004 - 4:16pm
Additional contributions by Lynette Elliott, Jay Barnes, dragonfly12, kschnei, Laura P.
Last updated 3 May, 2019 - 11:30am

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