# Neoscona

Neoscona, known as spotted orb-weavers and barn spiders, is a genus of orb-weaver spiders (Araneidae) first described by Eugène Simon in 1895 to separate these from other araneids in the now obsolete genus Epeira. The name Neoscona was derived from the Greek νέω, meaning "spin", and σχοῖνος, meaning "reed". They have a mostly pantropical distribution and one species, Neoscona adianta, has a palearctic distribution. The genus has more than 100 species (see below), eight of which can be found in the United States and Canada as of April 2019.

## Description

Neoscona species are among the most common spiders in North America and are found throughout most parts of the world. There are large variations in the dorsal patterns and coloration of the abdomen, even in a single species. Most have a light color with wavy edges along the mid-line, and darker swirls either side of that. Ventral abdominal patterns may consist of a dark area bordered by white, roughly forming a square. In adults the pattern can be faded. The venter of the abdomen is dark bordered on the sides by white spots. Neoscona can be difficult to distinguish from species of Araneus without close examination of the carapace. Neoscona have a characteristic dorsal groove on the carapace that is parallel with the long axis of the body. The dorsal grooves of Araneus are transverse or angular, though they are sometimes so small that they appear as dimples on the dorsal surface. With the leg arrangement, the first are the longest, the second are second longest and the third are the shortest. The largest eyes are the anterior medians, next or subequal are posterior medians and the secondary eyes are slightly smaller. The webs are usually vertical with about twenty radii and an open hub at the centre. Some species have been recorded as retreating to a leaf during the day.

## Species

As of April 2019 there are 123 species worldwide:
* N. achine (Simon, 1906) – India, China
* N. adianta (Walckenaer, 1802) – Europe, North Africa to Central Asia, Russia (Europe to Far East), China, Korea, Japan
** Neoscona a. persecta (Schenkel, 1936) – China
* N. alberti (Strand, 1913) – Central, Southern Africa
* N. albertoi Barrion-Dupo, 2008 – Philippines
* N. aldinei Barrion-Dupo, 2008 – Philippines
* N. amamiensis Tanikawa, 1998 – Japan
* N. ampoyae Barrion-Dupo, 2008 – Philippines
* N. angulatula (Schenkel, 1937) – Madagascar, Seychelles (Aldabra), Kenya
* N. arabesca (Walckenaer, 1841) – North America (across the United States and Canada), Central America, Caribbean
* N. bengalensis Tikader & Bal, 1981 – India, Pakistan, Bangladesh
* N. bihumpi Patel, 1988 – India
* N. biswasi Bhandari & Gajbe, 2001 – India
* N. blondeli (Simon, 1886) – Africa
* N. bomdilaensis Biswas & Biswas, 2006 – India
* N. bucheti (Lessert, 1930) – Congo
** Neoscona b. avakubiensis (Lessert, 1930) – Congo
** Neoscona b. flexuosa (Lessert, 1930) – Congo, Yemen
* N. byzanthina (Pavesi, 1876) – France, Turkey
* N. cereolella (Strand, 1907) – Congo, East Africa, Madagascar
** Neoscona c. setaceola (Strand, 1913) – Central Africa
* N. cheesmanae (Berland, 1938) – Vanuatu
* N. chiarinii (Pavesi, 1883) – West, Central, East Africa
* N. chongzuoensis Zhang & Zhang, 2011 – China
* N. chrysanthusi Tikader & Bal, 1981 – Bhutan, India, Pakistan
* N. crucifera (Lucas, 1838) – North America (Southwest Northeast USA and Canada); introduced to Hawaii, Canary Is., Madeira
* N. decolor (L. Koch, 1871) – Australia (New South Wales, Victoria), Fiji
* N. dhruvai Patel & Nigam, 1994 – India
* N. dhumani Patel & Reddy, 1993 – India
* N. domiciliorum (Hentz, 1847) – Eastern to midwestern USA
* N. dostinikea Barrion & Litsinger, 1995 – Philippines
* N. dyali Gajbe, 2004 – India
* N. enucleata (Karsch, 1879) – India, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Sumatra
* N. facundoi Barrion-Dupo, 2008 – Philippines
* N. flavescens Zhang & Zhang, 2011 – China
* N. flavopunctata (L. Koch, 1871) – Fiji
* N. floriata (Hogg, 1914) – Indonesia (West Papua)
* N. goliath (Benoit, 1963) – Ivory Coast
* N. govindai Biswas & Raychaudhuri, 2013 – Bangladesh
* N. granti (Hogg, 1914) – New Guinea
* N. hirta (C. L. Koch, 1844) – Central, Southern Africa
* N. holmi (Schenkel, 1953) – China, Korea
* N. huzaifi Mukhtar, 2012 – Pakistan
* N. inusta (L. Koch, 1871) – Taiwan, China, Philippines, Indonesia (Sumatra) to Australia
* N. isatis Zamani, Marusik & Šestáková, 2020 - Iran
* N. jindoensis Kim, Lee & Ji, 2016 – Korea
* N. jinghongensis Yin, Wang, Xie & Peng, 1990 – China
* N. kabiri Biswas & Raychaudhuri, 2013 – Bangladesh
* N. kisangani Grasshoff, 1986 – Congo
* N. kivuensis Grasshoff, 1986 – Congo
* N. kunmingensis Yin, Wang, Xie & Peng, 1990 – China
* N. lactea (Saito, 1933) – Taiwan
* N. leucaspis (Schenkel, 1963) – China
* N. lipana Barrion-Dupo, 2008 – Philippines
* N. lotan Levy, 2007 – Israel
* N. maculaticeps (L. Koch, 1871) – Japan, Samoa
* N. marcanoi Levi, 1993 – Cuba, Hispaniola
* N. mellotteei (Simon, 1895) – China, Korea, Taiwan, Japan
* N. menghaiensis Yin, Wang, Xie & Peng, 1990 – China
* N. molemensis Tikader & Bal, 1981 – Bangladesh, India to Philippines, Indonesia
* N. moreli (Vinson, 1863) – Africa, Madagascar, Seychelles, Réunion, Mauritius. Introduced to the Caribbean, Colombia, Venezuela to Argentina
* N. mukerjei Tikader, 1980 – India, Pakistan, Bangladesh
* N. multiplicans (Chamberlin, 1924) – China, Korea, Japan
* N. murthyi Patel & Reddy, 1990 – India
* N. nasidae Biswas & Raychaudhuri, 2013 – Bangladesh
* N. nautica (L. Koch, 1875) – Asia and Pacific islands. Introduced to both Americas, Sudan
* N. notanda (Rainbow, 1912) – Australia (Queensland)
* N. novella (Simon, 1907) – Equatorial Guinea (Bioko)
* N. oaxacensis (Keyserling, 1864) – Western and Midwest USA to Peru, Galapagos Is.
* N. odites (Simon, 1906) – India
* N. oriemindoroana Barrion & Litsinger, 1995 – Philippines
* N. orientalis (Urquhart, 1887) – New Zealand
* N. orizabensis F. O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1904 – Mexico; Otero County, New Mexico
* N. parambikulamensis Patel, 2003 – India
* N. pavida (Simon, 1906) – India, Pakistan, China
* N. penicillipes (Karsch, 1879) – West, Central Africa
* N. platnicki Gajbe & Gajbe, 2001 – India
* N. plebeja (L. Koch, 1871) – Fiji, Tonga, Tuvalu (Funafuti), Austral Is. (Rapa)
* N. polyspinipes Yin, Wang, Xie & Peng, 1990 – China
* N. pratensis (Hentz, 1847) – Eastern to midwestern USA, Canada
* N. pseudonautica Yin, Wang, Xie & Peng, 1990 – China, Korea
* N. pseudoscylla (Schenkel, 1953) – China
* N. punctigera (Doleschall, 1857) – Reunion, India, Myanmar, China, Korea, Japan, Indonesia, Philippines, New Guinea, Australia
* N. quadrigibbosa Grasshoff, 1986 – Central, Southern Africa
* N. quincasea Roberts, 1983 – Central, Southern Africa, Seychelles (Aldabra)
* N. rahamani Biswas & Raychaudhuri, 2013 – Bangladesh
* N. rapta (Thorell, 1899) – Africa
* N. raydakensis Saha, Biswas, Majumder & Raychaudhuri, 1995 – India
* N. rufipalpis (Lucas, 1858) – Africa, St. Helena, Cape Verde Is., Yemen
** Neoscona r. buettnerana (Strand, 1908) – Cameroon, Togo
* N. sanghi Gajbe, 2004 – India
* N. sanjivani Gajbe, 2004 – India
* N. scylla (Karsch, 1879) – Russia (Far East), China, Korea, Japan
* N. scylloides (Bösenberg & Strand, 1906) – Russia (Far East), China, Korea, Taiwan, Japan
* N. semilunaris (Karsch, 1879) – China, Korea, Japan
* N. shillongensis Tikader & Bal, 1981 – India, Pakistan, China
* N. simoni Grasshoff, 1986 – Central Africa
* N. sinhagadensis (Tikader, 1975) – India, Pakistan, China
* N. sodom Levy, 1998 – Israel
* N. stanleyi (Lessert, 1930) – Congo
* N. subfusca (C. L. Koch, 1837) – Southern Europe, Africa, Turkey, Middle East, Ukraine, Caucasus, Russia (Europe) to Central Asia
** Neoscona s. alboplagiata Caporiacco, 1947 – Tanzania
** Neoscona s. pallidior (Thorell, 1899) – Equatorial Guinea (Bioko)
* N. subpullata (Bösenberg & Strand, 1906) – China, Korea, Japan
* N. tedgenica (Bakhvalov, 1978) – Russia (Europe) to Central Asia
* N. theisi (Walckenaer, 1841) – India, Australia, Philippines, Indonesia to China, Japan. Introduced to Seychelles, Pacific Is.
** Neoscona t. carbonaria (Simon, 1909) – Vietnam
** Neoscona t. feisiana (Strand, 1911) – Caroline Is.
** Neoscona t. savesi (Simon, 1880) – New Caledonia
** Neoscona t. theisiella (Tullgren, 1910) – West, Central, East Africa, Yemen
** Neoscona t. triangulifera (Thorell, 1878) – New Guinea
* N. tianmenensis Yin, Wang, Xie & Peng, 1990 – China, Korea
* N. triangula (Keyserling, 1864) – Africa, India
** Neoscona t. mensamontella (Strand, 1907) – Madagascar
* N. triramusa Yin & Zhao, 1994 – China
* N. ujavalai Reddy & Patel, 1992 – India
* N. usbonga Barrion & Litsinger, 1995 – Philippines
* N. utahana (Chamberlin, 1919) – USA, Mexico
* N. vigilans (Blackwall, 1865) – Africa, Asia (without Russia)
* N. xiquanensis Barrion, Barrion-Dupo & Heong, 2013 – China
* N. xishanensis Yin, Wang, Xie & Peng, 1990 – China
* N. yadongensis Yin, Wang, Xie & Peng, 1990 – China
* N. yptinika Barrion & Litsinger, 1995 – India, Philippines
* N. zhui Zhang & Zhang, 2011 – China

## Gallery

* Neoscona arabesca Oklahoma, USA
* Neoscona crucifera with prey Virginia, USA
* Neoscona domiciliorum Virginia, USA
* Neoscona oaxacensis California, USA
* Neoscona theisi Queensland, Australia
* Neoscona theisi female ventral, Queensland, Australia