Cyclosa insulana

Common Garbage-Line Web Spider
female from Zimbabwe
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Subphylum:	Chelicerata
Class:	Arachnida
Order:	Araneae
Infraorder:	Araneomorphae
Family:	Araneidae
Genus:	Cyclosa
Species:	C. insulana
Binomial name
Cyclosa insulana (Costa, 1834)
Synonyms
Epeira insulanaCosta, 1834 Epeira anseripesWalckenaer, 1841 Epeira trituberculataLucas, 1846 Epeira moestaBlackwall, 1865 Cyrtophora argenteaAusserer, 1871 Cyrtophora melanuraSimon, 1877 Cyclosa propinquaSimon, 1882 Cyrtophora interalbicansBösenberg & Lenz, 1895

Cyclosa insulana is a species of orb-weaver spider in the family Araneidae. Its distribution ranges from the Mediterranean region eastward to Japan, India to Papua New Guinea, Australia, and parts of Africa including St. Helena, South Africa, and Eswatini. ^[1]

Distribution

C. insulana is widely distributed across the warm and tropical regions of the Old World, with records spanning from the Mediterranean to the Philippines and Australia. ^[2] In the Seychelles, it has been recorded from Mahé and Silhouette Island, though some specimens from this region may represent other closely related species. ^[2]

Habitat and ecology

The species inhabits multiple biomes at altitudes ranging from 4 to 1593 m above sea level. They make a complete vertical, closely woven orb web in vegetation, about one metre above the ground. The distinguishing character of the web is the vertical stabilimentum in line with the hub. The spider strings together dead bodies of prey and other debris on this stabilimentum. The spider hides in this debris as a defence against predators. This common species is frequently found in sweep net and beating samples, and has been sampled from all the floral biomes. The species has been recorded from crops such as avocado, citrus orchards and tomato fields. ^[3]

Description

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  female
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  female
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  female

Females of C. insulana can be distinguished by having a broad scapus (the basal part of the spinneret) in the anterior region. ^[2] Males are identified by the distinctive shape of their pedipalps. ^[2]

Etymology

The specific epithet "insulana" is derived from the Latin "insula" meaning "island," referring to the insular habitat where the species was first discovered on the Italian islands of Ischia and Procida. ^[4]

Taxonomy

Cyclosa insulana was first described by Italian naturalist Oronzio Gabriele Costa in 1834 as Epeira insulana. ^[1] The species has a complex taxonomic history with numerous synonyms, reflecting its wide distribution and the historical tendency to describe the same species multiple times from different locations. ^[1]

Conservation

Cyclosa insulana is listed as Least Concern by the South African National Biodiversity Institute due to its wide geographical range. The species is protected in more than 30 protected areas including Addo Elephant National Park, Mountain Zebra National Park, Mkambathi Nature Reserve, and De Hoop Nature Reserve. ^[3]

References

1. "Cyclosa insulana (Costa, 1834)". World Spider Catalog. Retrieved 2025-09-26.
2. Saaristo, M. I. (2010). "Araneae". In Gerlach, J.; Marusik, Y. M. (eds.). Arachnida and Myriapoda of the Seychelles islands. Manchester: Siri Scientific Press. pp. 8–306.
3. Dippenaar-Schoeman, A.S.; Haddad, C.R.; Foord, S.H.; Lotz, L.N.; Webb, P. (2022). The Araneidae of South Africa. Version 2: part 1 (A-C). South African National Survey of Arachnida Photo Identification Guide. pp. 59–60. doi:10.5281/zenodo.6326922.  This article incorporates text available under the CC BY 4.0 license.
4. Costa, O. G. (1834). "Cenni zoologici, ossia descripzione sommaria delle specie nuove di animali discoperti in diverse contrade del Regno nell'anno 1834". Annuario Zoologico. 1834: 64–66.