42, see text Parasteatoda is a genus of comb-footed spiders that was first described by Allan Frost Archer in 1946.

[2] The name is a combination of the Ancient Greek "para-" (παρά), meaning "near" or "next to", and the theridiid genus Steatoda.

[3] Parasteatoda species have a characteristic teardrop-shaped abdomen, with the anterior section much higher than the carapace and the spinnerets pointed downwards.

[4] It is mostly an Old World genus, with many species found in Asia and New Guinea, though the distribution reaches into Europe.

A few species originate from the New World, but many have been introduced, and they are becoming more widespread in the Americas and Europe.