Six new species of the orb-weaver spider genus Araneus Clerck, 1757 (Araneae, Araneidae) and a redescription of A. colubrinus Song & Zhu, 1992 from Fanjingshan National Nature Reserve, Guizhou, China

Researchers have identified six new species of orb-weaver spiders belonging to the genus Araneus from Fanjingshan National Nature Reserve, Guizhou Province, China. These include Araneus chenjingis, A. yubois, A. lihaibois, A. shiis, A. wanghuais, and A. yangchuandongis, which are categorized into two groups: the A. diadematus group and the A. sturmi group. Additionally, the study redescribes Araneus colubrinus and proposes a new synonym for it, Araneus octodentalis. The findings contribute to the biodiversity documentation of Fanjingshan, a UNESCO World Heritage Site known for its rich biological diversity.

Mi, X., Wang, C., & Gan, J. (2023). Six new species of the orb-weaver spider genus Araneus Clerck, 1757 (Araneae, Araneidae) and a redescription of A. colubrinus Song &; Zhu, 1992 from Fanjingshan National Nature Reserve, Guizhou, China. ZooKeys, 1173, 243–273. https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.1173.106315