? European garden spider
European garden spider in web
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Arthropoda Class: Arachnida Order: Araneae Suborder: Araneomorphae Family: Araneidae Genus: Araneus Species: A. diadematus
Binomial name
Araneus diadematus Clerck, 1757

The European garden spider (Araneus diadematus, cross spider) is a very common and well-known orb-weaver spider in Western Europe. Araneus diadematus also lives in parts of North America, in a range extending from New England and the Southeast to the Northwestern United States and adjacent parts of Canada. Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... Scientific classification or biological classification is how biologists group and categorize extinct and living species of organisms (as opposed to folk taxonomy). ... Phyla Animals are a major group of organisms, classified as the kingdom Animalia or Meta­zoa. ... Subphyla and Classes Arthropods (phylum Arthropoda) (from Greek ἀρθρον, meaning joint and πούς/ποδός, meaning foot) are the largest phylum of animals and include the insects, arachnids, crustaceans, and others. ... Orders Acarina Amblypygi Araneae Opiliones Palpigradi Pseudoscorpionida Ricinulei Schizomida Scorpiones Solifugae Uropygi The arachnids, Arachnida, are a class of invertebrate animals in the subphylum Chelicerata. ... For other uses, see Spider (disambiguation). ... The Araneomorphae, previously called the Labidognatha, are a suborder of spiders. ... Genera many, see text The orb-weaver spiders (family Araneidae) are the familiar builders of spiral wheel-shaped webs often found in gardens, fields and forests. ... Araneus is a genus of orb-weaving spiders including the common garden spider and the barn spider. ... In biology, binomial nomenclature is the formal method of naming species. ... Carl Alexander Clerck (1709-22 July 1765) was a Swedish entomologist and arachnologist. ... 1757 was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar). ... Genera Araneus Argiope (St Andrews Cross spider) Dicrostichus Gasteracantha (Spiny orb-weavers) Larinia Mastophora Metepiera Micrathena Neoscona The orb-weaver spiders (family Araneidae) are the familiar builders of spiral wheel-shaped webs often found in gardens, fields and forests. ... World map showing Europe Political map Europe is one of the seven continents of Earth which, in this case, is more a cultural and political distinction than a physiographic one, leading to various perspectives about Europes borders. ... World map showing North America A satellite composite image of North America. ... This article is about the region in the United States of America. ... Regional definitions vary from source to source. ...

Individual spiders' colouring can range from extremely light yellow to very dark gray, but all european garden spiders have mottled markings across the back with five or more large white dots forming a cross.

It is hard to provoke a garden spider to bite - if it does, the bite is slightly unpleasant and utterly harmless.

External links

• Araneaus diadematus at Nick's Spiders of Britain and Europe
• European Garden Spider at Hans and Hania's Garden Safari
• European orb weavers at Spiders of NW-Europe
• World Spider Catalog

Picture of a young male European garden spider wrapping up a common flesh fly

An underside view of spider while spinning its web.

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Araneus diadematus