Cyclosa
| Cyclosa | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Camouflaged C. octotuberculata | |
.jpg) |
|
| Web debris spider on web C. insulana Sabah, Borneo |
|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Arachnida |
| Order: | Araneae |
| Suborder: | Araneomorphae |
| Family: | Araneidae |
| Genus: |
Cyclosa Menge, 1866 |
| Species | |
|
C. conica |
|
| Diversity | |
| 165 species | |
C. conica
C. monteverde
C. octotuberculata
C. argenteoalba
many more
Cyclosa is a spider genus in the family Araneidae. 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. 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
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 the false spiders.
C. 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. The larva then eats the spider and uses the web to complete metamorphosis.
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Wikipedia