AraneaeTheridiidae – Cobweb Spiders

Neospintharus baboquivari

This record describes Neospintharus baboquivari (species). Recorded family: Theridiidae. Recorded order: Araneae.

Identification and Appearance

Neospintharus baboquivari - Neospintharus baboquivari
(c) jcowles, some rights reserved (CC BY), uploaded by jcowles

Classification

Kingdom
Animalia
Phylum
Arthropoda
Class
Arachnida
Order
Araneae (Spiders)
Family
Theridiidae (Cobweb Spiders)
Genus
Neospintharus

Imported taxonomy record. Source availability varies; see the source references and editorial policy below.

Habitat and Range

Geographic Range

USA: Arizona MX: Chihuahua, Sonora

Additional species information

Species notes from the sources

Etymology: Neospintharus baboquivari Exline & Levi, 1962 Named after the mountain range where the species is common.

About Spiders: the wider group

Order-level background for Araneae, the group containing Neospintharus baboquivari. Species-specific details appear above.

Group overview

As of 2023, 51,673 spider species in 136 families have been recorded, though an estimated 150,000 species exist. Spiders rank 7th in total species diversity among all organism orders. Only 0.5% of spider species pose any risk to human health.

Ecological role of the group

Spider venom contains complex peptides with diverse pharmacological activities, making them valuable for drug development research. Spiders produce up to 7 types of silk from specialized glands. Spider silk genes have been inserted into mammals and plants for biotech applications.

Economic and practical significance of the group

The global spider community kills an estimated 400-800 million tons of prey annually (2017 study). Spiders provide billions of dollars in natural pest control for agriculture. Spider silk is 5× stronger than steel of the same diameter, driving a biomaterials research industry.

Recorded sources for this group: World Spider Catalog, PNAS, Nature, ScienceDirect. Imported estimates may describe particular regions or reporting periods.

Explore Araneae families and species →

Photos of Neospintharus baboquivari (2)

Neospintharus baboquivari - photo 1
(c) jcowles, some rights reserved (CC BY), uploaded by jcowles | Contributed by Nathaniel Green; Additional contributions by cheins
Neospintharus baboquivari - photo 2
(c) jcowles, some rights reserved (CC BY), uploaded by jcowles | Contributed by Nathaniel Green; Additional contributions by cheins

Photo credits: (c) jcowles, some rights reserved (CC BY), uploaded by jcowles | Contributed by Nathaniel Green; Additional contributions by cheins

How we use and review source data. Source count does not imply independent verification.

Photo credits: (c) jcowles, some rights reserved (CC BY), uploaded by jcowles | Contributed by Nathaniel Green; Additional contributions by cheins. Contributors retain copyright over their individual contributions.