Argiopidae

9.9

A group of spiders that spin round webs to catch insects

noun
/ˌɑr.dʒiˈoʊ.pɪˌdeɪ/

Specialized

: Argiopidae

Members of the Argiopidae build intricate orb webs to catch their prey.

Examples

With a cosmopolitan distribution, Argiopidae can be found on every continent except Antarctica.
The Argiopidae are studied in zoology for their fascinating web designs.
Look at that beautiful web made by an Argiopidae spider!
Did you know that Argiopidae are known for their intricate webs?
Members of the Argiopidae build intricate orb webs to catch their prey.
The Argiopidae are studied in zoology for their fascinating web designs.
With a cosmopolitan distribution, Argiopidae can be found on every continent except Antarctica.

Surface Forms

Argiopidae singular

Argiopidae plural

Morphology

Argiopidae = Argiope (opaque) = Argiope + idae

The formation uses the specialist taxonomic suffix '-idae' meaning 'family (of)' in scientific nomenclature; this is not a productive everyday English suffix, so average learners cannot derive the meaning from the parts.

Etymology

Argiopidae comes from the spider name Argiope plus the scientific ending -idae, which means 'family'. The name Argiope comes from Greek words meaning 'bright' or 'shining' and 'face', so a helpful way to remember Argiopidae is to picture the 'bright-faced' orb-weavers — the spider family famous for their round, orb-shaped webs.