Cyclosa

Cyclosa
Camouflaged Cyclosa octotuberculata
Cyclosa insulana
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Subphylum: Chelicerata
Class: Arachnida
Order: Araneae
Infraorder: Araneomorphae
Family: Araneidae
Genus: Cyclosa
Menge, 1866
Type species
C. conica
(Pallas, 1772)
Species

180, see text

Synonyms[1]
  • Parazygia

Cyclosa, also called trashline orbweavers,[2] is a genus of orb-weaver spiders first described by Anton Menge in 1866.[3] Widely distributed worldwide, spiders of the genus Cyclosa build relatively small orb webs with a web decoration. The web decoration in Cyclosa spiders is often linear and includes prey remains and other debris, which probably serve to camouflage the spider. The name "Cyclosa" comes from Greek 'to move in a circle', referring to how it spins its web.[2]

While most orb-web spiders face downwards in their web when waiting for prey, some Cyclosa species (e.g. C. ginnaga and C. argenteoalba) face upwards.[4]

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference NMBE was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ a b "Genus Cyclosa". BugGuide. Retrieved 2019-05-13.
  3. ^ Menge, A. (1866). "Preussische Spinnen. Erste Abtheilung. Schriften der Naturforschenden Gesellschaft in Danzig". Schriften der Naturforschenden Gesellschaft in Danzig.
  4. ^ Nakata, Kensuke; Zschokke, Samuel (2010). "Upside-down spiders build upside-down orb webs: web asymmetry, spider orientation and running speed in Cyclosa". Proceedings of the Royal Society B. 277 (1696). Royal Society: 3019–3025. doi:10.1098/rspb.2010.0729. PMC 2982030. PMID 20462900.