Note 320 — Chapter XV · ARACHNIDA EMBOLOBRANCHIATA (CONTINUED)—ARANEAE (CONTINUED)—CLASSIFICATION

Simon’s treatment of this group in his Hist. Nat. Ar. does not appear to us satisfactory. He revives the name Araneus as a generic term, a proceeding to which there are very valid objections, and merges in it, in whole or in part, about twenty-five generally received genera, including 800 species. He then proceeds to break up the genus Araneus into six entirely artificial “series,” according to the eyes. However unsatisfactory the merged genera may be, nothing seems to be gained by this proceeding. The facts about “Araneus” are these. Clerck and Linnaeus used the name “Araneus” for every member of the order. Latreille, in subdividing the order, retained the name for A. (Epeira) diademata (1804), but later (1827) transferred it to A. (Tegenaria) domestica. Walckenaer, seeing the impropriety of using Araneus as a generic term, discarded it, establishing Epeira, which has since obtained universal recognition.