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TaxonomyBrowse
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Species Araneus cavaticus - Barn Spider

Orb Weaver - Araneus cavaticus Large Vermont spider: Shamrock orbweaver - Araneus trifolium - Araneus cavaticus Is this cavaticus? - Araneus cavaticus Araneus cavaticus? - Araneus cavaticus Giant Lichen Orbweaver? - Araneus cavaticus - female Araneus cavaticus?  - Araneus cavaticus - female Araneus cavaticus? - Araneus cavaticus Araneus cavaticus? - Araneus cavaticus
Classification
Kingdom Animalia (Animals)
Phylum Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Subphylum Chelicerata (Chelicerates)
Class Arachnida (Arachnids)
Order Araneae (Spiders)
Infraorder Araneomorphae (True Spiders)
No Taxon (Entelegynae)
Family Araneidae (Orb Weavers)
Genus Araneus
Species cavaticus (Barn Spider)
Other Common Names
Barn Spider
Synonyms and other taxonomic changes
Identification
Araneus cavaticus is often confused with Neoscona crucifera. These two species can be differentiated using two main features:

1) Araneus cavaticus has 'shoulders' near the front on the dorsal side of the abdomen.

A. cavaticus                     N. crucifera

2) Araneus cavaticus has comma shaped ventral marks, Neoscona has more of a broken "L"

A. cavaticus                     N. crucifera
Remarks
This is the spider in the book Charlotte's Web by E.B. White. The spider's full name is Charlotte A. Cavatica.