Cyclosa | |
---|---|
Camouflaged Cyclosa octotuberculata | |
Cyclosa insulana | |
Scientific 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] | |
|
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]
Cyclosa argenteoalba builds two types of web, a traditional sticky spider web, and a resting web that consists of just a few strands. When infected with a larva of the wasp Reclinervellus nielseni , the spider switches on the behavior to build a resting web. [5] The larva then eats the spider and uses the web to complete metamorphosis. [6]
C. mulmeinensis , found on Orchid Island off the southeast coast of Taiwan, makes web decorations similar in size and appearance to itself that act as decoys to distract predatory wasps. [7]
One small species from Guyana described under the nomen dubium C. tremula has a black and white pattern and rests in the center of an orb web with greyish "imitation spiders" it has created from prey remains. If the spider is disturbed, it vibrates its body, so that the black and white patches blur into grey, thus resembling false spiders. [8]
C. turbinata are known for creating orb-shaped webs, which are webs that utilize both sticky and non-sticky threads, mostly during times of complete darkness. Cyclosa turbinata is unique in that across its spiral wheel-shaped web, it also creates the so-called "trashline" web, which is a line of various components such as prey carcasses, detritus, and, at times, egg cases. This trashline appears to hinder predators from visually locating the spider within its web.[ citation needed ]
As of April 2019 [update] it contains 180 species: [1]
Cheiracanthium, commonly called yellow sac spiders, is a genus of araneomorph spiders in the family Cheiracanthiidae, and was first described by Carl Ludwig Koch in 1839. They are usually pale in colour, and have an abdomen that can range from yellow to beige. Both sexes range in size from 5 to 10 millimetres. They are unique among common house spiders because their tarsi do not point either outward, like members of Tegenaria, or inward, like members of Araneus), making them easier to identify.
Neoscona, known as spotted orb-weavers and barn spiders, is a genus of orb-weaver spiders (Araneidae) first described by Eugène Simon in 1895 to separate these from other araneids in the now obsolete genus Epeira. The name Neoscona was derived from the Greek νέω, meaning "spin", and σχοῖνος, meaning "reed" They have a mostly pantropical distribution and one species, Neoscona adianta, has a palearctic distribution. As of April 2019 there are eight species that can be found in the United States and Canada:
Cyrtophora, the tent-web spiders, is a genus of orb-weaver spiders first described by Eugène Simon in 1895. 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.
Clubiona is a genus of sac spiders that was first described by Pierre André Latreille in 1804.
Chrysso is a genus of comb-footed spiders that was first described by Octavius Pickard-Cambridge in 1882.
Enoplognatha is a genus of comb-footed spiders that was first described by P. Pavesi in 1880. They have both a large colulus and a subspherical abdomen. Males usually have enlarged chelicerae. It is considered a senior synonym of Symopagia.
Parasteatoda is a genus of comb-footed spiders that was first described by Allan Frost Archer in 1946. The name is a combination of the Ancient Greek "para-" (παρά), meaning "near" or "next to", and the theridiid genus Steatoda. The Japanese name for this genus is O-himegumo zoku.
Cyrtarachne is a genus of orb-weaver spiders first described by Tamerlan Thorell in 1868.
Oxyopes is a genus of lynx spiders found worldwide. It includes arounds 300 species and is classified under the lynx spider family Oxyopidae. Like other lynx spiders, they are easily recognizable by the six larger eyes arranged hexagonally on top of the head (prosoma), with the remaining smaller two eyes in front. They are also characterized by long spine-like bristles (setae) on their legs. They are ambush predators, actively hunting prey by sight. Though they produce and use silk, they do not build webs to capture prey.
Eriovixia is a genus of orb-weaver spiders first described by Allan Frost Archer in 1951.