Araneus quadratus Clerck, 1757
Description
Male palp with deeply forked median apophysis. Epigyne with strongly widened scapus basally. Prosoma bright yellow-brown with darker margin. Sternum black, sometimes with bright median spot. Chelicerae brown. Legs light brown, darkly annulated. Opisthosoma with base colour varying form almost white via greenish yellow to luscious red-brown, but always with 4 large white spots.
Body length male: 7-11 mmBody length female: 10.5-20.5 mm
Additional information
mostly on grass in damp meadows
Frequency: very frequent in some places
Distribution
Phenology
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
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Figures
Pedipalp
(Wiehle 1931)
Pedipalp, ventral view
(Azheganova 1968)
Pedipalp, ventral view
(Roberts 1995)
Pedipalp
(Wiehle 1931)
Pedipalp
(Locket & Millidge 1953)
Pedipalp, prolateral view
(Grasshoff 1968)
Tegular apophysis
(Loksa 1972)
Palpal apophysis
(Loksa 1972)
Epigyne
(Azheganova 1968)
Epigyne
(Roberts 1995)
Epigyne
(Wiehle 1931)
Epigyne
(Loksa 1972)
Epigyne
(Locket & Millidge 1953)
Epigyne, ventral view
(Grasshoff 1968)
Habitus
(Loksa 1972)
Opisthosoma, dorsal view
(Heimer & Nentwig 1991)
Habitus
(Locket & Millidge 1953)
References
Azheganova N S (1968) Kratkii opredelitel' paukov (Aranei) lesnoi i lesostepnoi zony SSSR. Akademia Nauk SSSR: 1-149
Blagoev G, Deltshev C, Lazarov S, Naumova M (2018) The spiders (Araneae) of Bulgaria. Version: August 2018. National Museum of Natural History, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences. Online at http://www.nmnhs.com/spiders-bulgaria/ (accessed on 10.9.2018)
Cera I (2018) The checklist of Latvian spiders (Arachnida: Araneae). Environmental and Experimental Biology 16: 139-152 
Danışman T, Kunt K B, Özkütük R S (2019) The checklist of the spiders of Turkey. Version 2018 [last updated 1 January 2019], online at http://www.spidersofturkey.info
Grasshoff M (1968) Morphologische Kriterien als Ausdruck von Artgrenzen bei Radnetzspinnen der Subfamilie Araneinae (Arachnida: Araneae: Araneidae). Abhandlungen der Senckenbergischen Naturforschenden Gesellschaft 516: 1-100
Heimer S, Nentwig W (1991) Spinnen Mitteleuropas. Paul Parey Berlin
Helsdingen P J van (2010a) Araneae. In: Fauna Europaea Database (Version 2010.1), online at www.european-arachnology.org
Kostanjšek R, Kuntner M (2015) Araneae Sloveniae: a national spider species checklist. ZooKeys 474: 1-91
Locket G H, Millidge A F (1953) British Spiders 2. Ray Soc London
Loksa I (1972) Pokok II-Araneae II. Fauna Hungariae 109: 3.1-3.112
Otto S (2017) Caucasian spiders. A faunistic database on the spiders of the Caucasus Ecoregion. Database version 08.2017. Internet: caucasus-spiders.info.
Pantini P, Isaia M (2018) Checklist of the Italian spiders (version June 2018). online at http://www.museoscienzebergamo.it/web/index.php?option=com_content&view=category&layout=blog&id=96&Itemid=94
Pantini P, Sassu A, Serra G (2013) Catalogue of the spiders (Arachnida Araneae) of Sardinia. Biodiversity Journal 4: 3-104
Pfliegler W A, Schönhofer A, Niedbała W, Vella P, Sciberras A, Vella A (2017) New records of mites (Acari) and harvestmen (Opiliones) from Malta with a preliminary checklist of Maltese Arachnida. Soil Organisms 89: 85-110
Roberts M J (1995) Spiders of Britain and Northern Europe. Collins Field Guide Bath
Wiehle H (1931) Spinnentiere oder Arachnoidea, VI. 27: Familie Araneidae. Tierwelt Deutschlands 23
World Spider Catalog (2019) World Spider Catalog, version 20.0. Natural History Museum Bern, online at http://wsc.nmbe.ch (20.01.2019) doi: 10.24436/2
Updates
| 08-01-2017 | Image insert | |
| 25-06-2013 | Distribution update | Old value |