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Genus Araniella

Sixspotted Orbweaver - Araniella displicata Six-spotted Orb Weaver - Araniella displicata - female Orb Weaver - Araniella displicata - male Sixspotted Orbweaver - Araniella displicata Shamrock Orbweaver? - Araniella displicata - female spider, green & amber in Alaska - Araniella proxima Araniella ? - Araniella displicata spider on hat - Araniella displicata
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 Araniella
Synonyms and other taxonomic changes
Explanation of Names
Araneus (either the genus or the Latin word meaning "spider") + -ella (a Latin ending meaning "little")
Gender: Feminine
Numbers
There are two known species in the US and Canada:

1) A. displicata has been recorded in these US states: AK, AZ, CA, CO, CT, IA, ID, IL, IN, MD, ME, MI, MN, MT, NC, ND, NH, NJ, NM, NT, NY, OH, OR, PA, RI, UT, VA, VT, WA, WI, WV, WY
and these Canadian Provinces/Territories: AB, BC, MB, NF, NS, ON, PQ, SK, YT

2) A. proxima has been recorded in these Canadian Provinces/Territories: AB BC NL NT QC SK

*A. cucurbitina has been recorded in CO & CT, according to the Nearctic Spider Database, but bugguide has chosen to leave this off our species list since that information is not accepted by current publications, like The World Spider Catalog.
Identification
In separating A. displicata from A. proxima:
1) Range - If it is found in the US it should be A. displicata.
2) Coloring - A. proxima is described as having abdomen yellow to white while A. displicata can be yellow to white or sometimes red or green.
3) Spot Pairs - A. proxima has 1-3 dorsal spot pairs while A. displicata has 3-4 dorsal spot pairs.(1)
Works Cited
1.The orb-weaver genera Araniella and Nuctenea
H.W. Levi. 1974. Bull. Mus. Comp. Zool. 146(6): 291-316.