Acanthepeira cherokee

Levi, 1976

Cherokee Orbweaver

Acanthepeira cherokee is a of -weaving in the Araneidae, described by Herbert W. Levi in 1976. It belongs to a characterized by distinctive abdominal or that provide . The species is found in the United States, though specific details about its biology and remain limited in published literature.

Acanthepeira cherokee 18710183 by Richard Stovall. Used under a CC BY 4.0 license.

Acanthepeira cherokee 18710182 by Richard Stovall. Used under a CC BY 4.0 license.

Acanthepeira cherokee 39499821 by Bill Keim. Used under a CC BY 4.0 license.

Pronunciation

How to pronounce Acanthepeira cherokee: //əˌkænˈθɛ.pə.irə ˈtʃɛr.oʊˌkiː//

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Identification

Members of the Acanthepeira are distinguished by a hard, spiny with prominent that give a star-like or thorn-studded appearance. The specific identification of A. cherokee from requires examination of and other subtle morphological features described in Levi's 1976 revision. The name honors the Cherokee Nation.

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Distribution

United States of America. The precise range within the USA has not been extensively documented in readily accessible sources.

Similar Taxa

Acanthepeira stellataShares the and the characteristic spiny with ; A. stellata is the most well-documented with similar and , though it has a broader documented range

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Etymology

The specific epithet 'cherokee' honors the Cherokee Nation, following a pattern in the where A. stellata was named for its star-like appearance while A. cherokee recognizes stewardship of the landscapes where these occur. This naming convention parallels other Appalachian fauna named after Cherokee heritage, such as the Cherokeea attakullakulla.

Taxonomic Context

Acanthepeira cherokee was described by arachnologist Herbert W. Levi in his 1976 revision of the . Levi was a prolific taxonomist at Harvard's Museum of Comparative who described hundreds of -weaver , particularly in Araneidae and Theridiidae.