Macracantha Simon, 1864

Macharoenboon, Kongkit, Siriwut, Warut & Jeratthitikul, Ekgachai, 2021, A review of the taxonomy of spiny-backed orb-weaving spiders of the subfamily Gasteracanthinae (Araneae, Araneidae) in Thailand, ZooKeys 1032, pp. 17-62 : 17

Genus Macracantha Simon, 1864

Type species.

Aranea arcuata Fabricius, 1793

Diagnosis.

Cephalic region highly elevated near the middle, abruptly sloped downward posteriorly. Median ocular quadrangle wider behind than in front. Cephalothorax overlapping anterior abdomen. Sternum heart-shaped, pointed posteriorly, concave anteriorly below labium. Abdomen octagonal with three pairs of spines, and sigilla on dorsal and ventral sides. Anterior edge of abdomen curved between median spines. Dorsal sigilla teardrop-shaped, subequal in size, arranged in three rows, and situated near the anterior edge, posterior edge, and behind the posterior edge. Four median sigilla arranged in a trapezoid. Median spines well developed, elongated. Ventral tubercle is absent. Spinnerets placed on elevated black sclerotized structure, forming a shape like a shield volcano. Legs elongated.

Remarks.

Macracantha was formerly classified as a subgenus of Gasteracantha , but later elevated to an independent genus by Emerit (1974). This genus now consists of two species, M. arcuata ( World Spider Catalog 2020) and M. hasselti (this study). The latter species is currently transferred to Macracantha according to phylogenetic analyses and anatomical evidence in this study.