Gasteracantha cancriformis
species of arachnid
Gasteracantha cancriformis (spinybacked orbweaver) is a species of orb-weaver spider (family Araneidae). It is widely distributed in the New World.
The genus name Gasteracantha derives from the Ancient Greek γαστήρ (gastḗr), meaning "belly", and ἄκανθα (ákantha), meaning "thorn", while the specific epithet cancriformis derives from the Latin words cancer ("crab") and forma ("shape, form, appearance").
Description
Females are 5–9 mm (0.20–0.35 in) long and 10–13 mm (0.39–0.51 in) wide. The six abdominal spine-like projections on the abdomen are characteristic. The carapace, legs, and underside are black with white spots under the abdomen. Variations occur in the colour of the upperside of the abdomen - a white or yellow colour with both featuring black spots. A white upper side can have either red or black spines while a yellow upperside can only have black ones. Like with many other spiders, males are much smaller (2 to 3 mm long) and longer than wide. All morphs have six abdominal spines.
This brief starts where responsible research should: with the source description of “Gasteracantha cancriformis” as species of arachnid. Everything that follows is an evidence route, not borrowed authority.
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Stable identifiers, scientific names and standards terminology offer the best bridge between this overview and specialist evidence. The source revision retrieved here is dated Sep 1, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q138490. None of the 0 selected statements returned an explicit reference.
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This entry incorporates text from “Gasteracantha cancriformis” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.