Gasteracantha fornicata
Encyclopedia
Gasteracantha fornicata is a type of spiny orb-weaver
spider
found in Queensland
Australia
. It is similar in shape to the Austracantha minax
which was originally described as Gasteracantha minax. It was described by Johan Christian Fabricius
in 1775, the first Australian species of spider to be named and classified.
This species is sometimes identified as Gasteracantha vittata (L. Koch, 1871). However, it was later discovered that Fabricius had described the species earlier, and according to taxonomic rules, the earlier name has precedence and is the only one that should be used. Also, there are other species that were identified G. vittata at times, namely G. irradiata (by Thorell, 1859), G. sanguinolenta (by Keyserling, 1877) and G. transversa (as subspecies G. v. longicornis by Strand, 1907), further complicating the issue. Furthermore, there is a taxonomic rule that precedence can be circumvented when the original name has never really been used. So today it is even sometimes called Astracantha vittata.
Spiny orb-weaver
Spiny orb-weavers is a common name for Gasteracantha, a genus of spiders. They are also commonly called Spiny-backed orb-weavers, due to the prominent spines on their abdomen. These spiders can reach sizes of up to 30mm in diameter...
spider
Spider
Spiders are air-breathing arthropods that have eight legs, and chelicerae with fangs that inject venom. They are the largest order of arachnids and rank seventh in total species diversity among all other groups of organisms...
found in Queensland
Queensland
Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...
Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. It is similar in shape to the Austracantha minax
Austracantha minax
Austracantha minax is a distinctive Australian spider.This species occurs throughout most of Australia...
which was originally described as Gasteracantha minax. It was described by Johan Christian Fabricius
Johan Christian Fabricius
Johan Christian Fabricius was a Danish zoologist, specialising in "Insecta", which at that time included all arthropods: insects, arachnids, crustaceans and others...
in 1775, the first Australian species of spider to be named and classified.
This species is sometimes identified as Gasteracantha vittata (L. Koch, 1871). However, it was later discovered that Fabricius had described the species earlier, and according to taxonomic rules, the earlier name has precedence and is the only one that should be used. Also, there are other species that were identified G. vittata at times, namely G. irradiata (by Thorell, 1859), G. sanguinolenta (by Keyserling, 1877) and G. transversa (as subspecies G. v. longicornis by Strand, 1907), further complicating the issue. Furthermore, there is a taxonomic rule that precedence can be circumvented when the original name has never really been used. So today it is even sometimes called Astracantha vittata.