Cyclosa

Genus of spiders


title: "Cyclosa" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["araneidae-genera", "cosmopolitan-spiders"] description: "Genus of spiders" topic_path: "general/araneidae-genera" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyclosa" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary Genus of spiders ::

| name = | image = Cyclosa octotuberculata.jpg | image_caption = Camouflaged Cyclosa octotuberculata | image2 = Web debris spider (Cyclosa insulana).jpg | image2_caption = Cyclosa insulana | taxon = Cyclosa | authority = Menge, 1866 | type_species = C. conica | type_species_authority = (Pallas, 1772) | subdivision_ranks = Species | subdivision = 180, see text | synonyms = | synonyms_ref =

Cyclosa, also called trashline orbweavers, This specific decoy strategy is hypothesized to serve as an advanced anti-predator defense by visual mimicry. The name "Cyclosa" comes from Greek 'to move in a circle', referring to how it spins its web.

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.

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c2/Stabilimentum_Cyclosa_sp_5302.jpg" caption="Cyclosa sp. in north Queensland, Australia"] ::

Species

, this genus includes 178 species and two subspecies:

References

References

  1. Olah, George. (2025). "Cyclosa Menge, 1866 (Araneidae) Orb-Weavers Build Stabilimenta That Resemble Larger Spiders". Ecology and Evolution.
  2. "Genus Cyclosa". World Spider Catalog.
  3. "Genus Cyclosa". BugGuide.
  4. Menge, A.. (1866). "Preussische Spinnen. Erste Abtheilung. Schriften der Naturforschenden Gesellschaft in Danzig". Schriften der Naturforschenden Gesellschaft in Danzig.
  5. (2010). "Upside-down spiders build upside-down orb webs: web asymmetry, spider orientation and running speed in ''Cyclosa''". Royal Society.

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