---
title: "Spinybacked Orbweaver"
description: "Gasteracantha cancriformis — Insetos e aranhas. Gasteracantha cancriformis (spinybacked orbweaver) is a species of orb-weaver spider (family Araneidae)."
canonical: https://animalchecklist.com/pt/animal/spinybacked-orbweaver
last_updated: 2026-09-20
---

# Spinybacked Orbweaver

> Gasteracantha cancriformis — Insetos e aranhas. Gasteracantha cancriformis (spinybacked orbweaver) is a species of orb-weaver spider (family Araneidae).

- Scientific name: *Gasteracantha cancriformis*
- Category: `insects` (Insetos e aranhas)
- Habitats: unknown
- iNaturalist observations: 52628
- Wikidata: [Q138490](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q138490)
- iNaturalist taxon: [49540](https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/49540)

## Names

- en: Spinybacked Orbweaver
- es: Araña tejedora espinosa

## Countries with the most observations

US (30846), MX (5705), BR (3654), CR (2262), EC (1577), CO (1569), PA (1459), HN (791), PE (463), PR (280), NI (229), DO (202)

## Summary

Gasteracantha cancriformis (spinybacked orbweaver) is a species of orb-weaver spider (family Araneidae). It is widely distributed in the New World.
The genus name Gasteracantha derives from the Ancient Greek γαστήρ (gastḗr), meaning "belly", and ἄκανθα (ákantha), meaning "thorn", while the specific epithet cancriformis derives from the Latin words cancer ("crab") and forma ("shape, form, appearance").

Text: Wikipedia (en), CC BY-SA 4.0 — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gasteracantha_cancriformis

## Photo

![Spinybacked Orbweaver](https://animalchecklist.com/img/animals/spinybacked-orbweaver/medium.jpg)

Photo: steve b · CC0 · inaturalist — https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/335534875

## Machine access

`GET https://animalchecklist.com/api/v1/animals/spinybacked-orbweaver?lang=pt` — see [openapi.json](https://animalchecklist.com/openapi.json).