Cyrtophora

Tent-web spider
Green tent-web spider
Cyrtophora moluccensis suspended beneath its web
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Subphylum: Chelicerata
Class: Arachnida
Order: Araneae
Infraorder: Araneomorphae
Family: Araneidae
Subfamily: Cyrtophorinae
Genus: Cyrtophora
Simon, 1864
Type species
C. citricola
(Forsskål, 1775)
Species

53, see text

Synonyms[1]
  • Suzumia

Cyrtophora, the tent-web spiders, is a genus of orb-weaver spiders first described by Eugène Simon in 1895.[2] Although they are in the "orb weaver" family, they do not build orb webs. Their tent-like, highly complex non-sticky web is sometimes considered a precursor of the simplified orb web. These webs are aligned horizontally, with a network of supporting threads above them. These spiders often live in colonies. Females have a body length of mostly about 10 millimetres (0.39 in) long. Some members, including Cyrtophora cicatrosa, exhibit the ability to change colour rapidly.[3]

A kleptoparasitic spider (Argyrodes fissifrons) was found to live in a mutualistic relationships with Cyrtophora species.[4][5] Some of the species are considered social spiders, building large structures where the territories of the offspring are built along the margin of the mothers web.[6]

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference NMBE was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ Simon, E (1895). Histoire naturelle des araignées. doi:10.5962/bhl.title.51973.
  3. ^ "Spider Ecology". Earth-Life Web Productions. 31 May 2020.
  4. ^ Tso, I.M.; Severinghaus, L.L. (2000). "Argyrodes fissifrons inhabiting webs of Cyrtophora hosts: Prey size distribution and population characteristics" (PDF). Zoological Studies. 39: 236–242. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2006-09-08. Retrieved 2006-07-29.
  5. ^ Peng, P; Blamires, SJ; Agnarsson, I; Lin, HC; Tso, IM (2013). "A color-mediated mutualism between two arthropod predators". Curr. Biol. 23 (2): 172–176. doi:10.1016/j.cub.2012.11.057. PMID 23260470.
  6. ^ Downes, M.F. (1995). "Australasian sodal spiders: what is meant by 'soda!'?" (PDF). Records of the Western Australian Museum. 52: 25–32. Retrieved 2017-09-21.