A new species of Araneus (Araneae: Araneidae) from Japan

― A new species of Araneus is described under the name Araneus reizan n. sp., by using specimens collected from Honshu, Japan. The female of the species can be distinguished from related species by the epigynal opening directing inward. The male of the species closely resemble A. macacus , but can be separated from the latter by the wider conductor, thinner projection of the conductor, and larger projection of the tegulum. The pairing of male and female specimens of the species was confirmed by DNA barcoding using mt-COI partial sequencing data.