Cyclosa

Cyclosa
	Camouflaged Cyclosa octotuberculata
	Cyclosa insulana
Scientific classification
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

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. However, some tropical species, including C. longicauda in Peru, construct highly complex, non-linear stabilimenta that resemble the silhouette of a much larger orb-weaving spider.^[4] This specific decoy strategy is hypothesized to serve as an advanced anti-predator defense by visual mimicry.^[4] 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.^[5]

Notable members

C. octotuberculata
C. angusta
C. argentoalba
C. bifida

Cyclosa argenteoalba

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.^[6] The larva then eats the spider and uses the web to complete metamorphosis.^[7]

Cyclosa longicauda

The Neotropical species C. longicauda has been formally documented in Peru to construct an elaborate, non-linear stabilimentum from detritus and silk that visually mimics a larger spider.^[4] This specific "decoy spider" behavior is hypothesized to be an advanced defense mechanism against visual predators.^[4]

Cyclosa mulmeinensis

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.^[8]

Cyclosa tremula

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.^[9]

Cyclosa turbinata

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]}

Species

As of September 2025^[update], this genus includes 178 species and two subspecies:^[1]

Cyclosa alayoni Levi, 1999 – Cuba, Puerto Rico
Cyclosa alba Tanikawa, 1992 – Japan
Cyclosa albisternis Simon, 1888 – India, (mainland, Andaman Is.), Introduced to Hawaii
Cyclosa albopunctata Kulczyński, 1901 – Eritrea, Indonesia (New Guinea), New Caledonia
Cyclosa algerica Simon, 1885 – Portugal, Spain, France, Algeria, Tunisia, Italy (Sicily), Greece, Turkey, Azerbaijan, Iran
Cyclosa anatipes (Keyserling, 1887) – Australia (Queensland), Palau
Cyclosa andinas Levi, 1999 – Colombia, Ecuador
Cyclosa angusta Tanikawa, 1992 – Japan
Cyclosa anjing Mi, Wang & Li, 2024 – China
Cyclosa apoblepta (Rainbow, 1916) – Australia (Queensland)
Cyclosa argentaria (Rainbow, 1916) – Australia (Queensland)
Cyclosa argentata Tanikawa & Ono, 1993 – Taiwan
Cyclosa argenteoalba Bösenberg & Strand, 1906 – Japan, Korea, China, Taiwan, Russia, (Far East)
Cyclosa atrata Bösenberg & Strand, 1906 – China, Korea, Japan, Russia, (Far East)
Cyclosa baakea Barrion & Litsinger, 1995 – Philippines
Cyclosa bacilliformis Simon, 1908 – Australia (Western Australia)
Cyclosa banawensis Barrion & Litsinger, 1995 – Philippines
Cyclosa berlandi Levi, 1999 – United States, Hispaniola, Ecuador
Cyclosa bianchoria Yin, Wang, Xie & Peng, 1990 – China
Cyclosa bifida (Doleschall, 1859) – India, Philippines and Indonesia (New Guinea)
Cyclosa bifurcata (Walckenaer, 1841) – Costa Rica, Hispaniola, Argentina
Cyclosa bihamata F. Zhang, M. S. Zhang & Zhu, 2010 – China
Cyclosa bilobata Sen, Saha & Raychaudhuri, 2012 – India
Cyclosa bituberculata Biswas & Raychaudhuri, 1998 – Bangladesh
Cyclosa bulla Tanikawa & Petcharad, 2018 – Thailand, Singapore, Brunei
Cyclosa bulleri (Thorell, 1881) – Papua New Guinea
Cyclosa cajamarca Levi, 1999 – Peru
Cyclosa caligata (Thorell, 1890) – Indonesia (Sumatra)
Cyclosa camargoi Levi, 1999 – Brazil
Cyclosa camelodes (Thorell, 1878) – Seychelles, Indonesia (New Guinea)
Cyclosa caroli (Hentz, 1850) – United States, Caribbean, Bolivia
Cyclosa centrifaciens Hingston, 1927 – Myanmar
Cyclosa centrodes (Thorell, 1887) – India, Singapore
Cyclosa cephalodina Song & Liu, 1996 – China
Cyclosa chichawatniensis Mukhtar & Mushtaq, 2005 – Pakistan
Cyclosa circumlucens Simon, 1907 – Guinea-Bissau, São Tomé and Príncipe
Cyclosa concolor Caporiacco, 1933 – Libya
Cyclosa confraga (Thorell, 1893) – Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, Singapore, Vietnam
Cyclosa confusa Bösenberg & Strand, 1906 – China, Korea, Taiwan, Japan
Cyclosa conica (Pallas, 1772) – North America, Europe, Turkey, Caucasus, Russia (Europe to Far East), Iran, Central Asia, China. Introduced to South Africa (type species)
Cyclosa conigera F. O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1904 – Mexico, Honduras
Cyclosa coylei Levi, 1999 – Mexico, Guatemala
Cyclosa cucurbitoria (Yin, Wang, Xie & Peng, 1990) – China, Thailand
Cyclosa cucurbitula Simon, 1900 – Hawaii
Cyclosa curiraba Levi, 1999 – Bolivia
Cyclosa cylindrata Yin, Zhu & Wang, 1995 – China
Cyclosa cylindrifaciens Hingston, 1927 – Myanmar
Cyclosa damingensis Xie, Yin & Kim, 1995 – China
Cyclosa daodai Mi, Wang & Li, 2024 – China
Cyclosa deserticola Levy, 1998 – Egypt, Israel
Cyclosa dianasilvae Levi, 1999 – Ecuador, Peru
Cyclosa diversa (O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1894) – Mexico, Cuba, Argentina
Cyclosa dives Simon, 1877 – China, Philippines
Cyclosa donking Levi, 1999 – Bolivia
Cyclosa dosbukolea Barrion & Litsinger, 1995 – Philippines
Cyclosa durango Levi, 1999 – Mexico
Cyclosa elongata Biswas & Raychaudhuri, 1998 – Bangladesh
Cyclosa espumoso Levi, 1999 – Brazil
Cyclosa fililineata Hingston, 1932 – Panama, Argentina
Cyclosa formosa Karsch, 1879 – West Africa
Cyclosa formosana Tanikawa & Ono, 1993 – Taiwan
Cyclosa ginnaga Yaginuma, 1959 – Russia (Far East), Korea, Japan, China, Taiwan
Cyclosa gossypiata Keswani, 2013 – India
Cyclosa groppalii Pesarini, 1998 – Spain (incl. Balearic Is.), Greece (Crete)
Cyclosa gulinensis Xie, Yin & Kim, 1995 – China
Cyclosa haiti Levi, 1999 – Hispaniola, Jamaica, Puerto Rico (Mona Is.)
Cyclosa hamulata Tanikawa, 1992 – Russia (Far East), Japan
Cyclosa hexatuberculata Tikader, 1982 – Pakistan, India
Cyclosa huila Levi, 1999 – Colombia
Cyclosa imias Levi, 1999 – Cuba
Cyclosa inca Levi, 1999 – Colombia, Peru, Argentina
Cyclosa informis Yin, Zhu & Wang, 1995 – China
Cyclosa insulana (Costa, 1834) – Mediterranean, Japan, India, Papua New Guinea, Australia, St. Helena, South Africa, Eswatini
Cyclosa ipilea Barrion & Litsinger, 1995 – Philippines
Cyclosa jalapa Levi, 1999 – Mexico
Cyclosa japonica Bösenberg & Strand, 1906 – Russia (Far East), China, Korea, Taiwan, Japan
Cyclosa jose Levi, 1999 – Costa Rica
Cyclosa kashmirica Caporiacco, 1934 – Pakistan (Karakorum)
Cyclosa kibonotensis Tullgren, 1910 – Central, East Africa, Seychelles
Cyclosa koi Tanikawa & Ono, 1993 – Taiwan
Cyclosa krusa Barrion & Litsinger, 1995 – Pakistan, India, Philippines
Cyclosa kumadai Tanikawa, 1992 – Russia (Far East), Korea, Japan
Cyclosa laticauda Bösenberg & Strand, 1906 – China, Korea, Taiwan, Japan
Cyclosa lawrencei Caporiacco, 1949 – Kenya
Cyclosa libertad Levi, 1999 – Ecuador, Peru
Cyclosa lichensis (Rainbow, 1916) – Australia (Queensland)
Cyclosa litoralis (L. Koch, 1867) – Vanuatu, Samoa, Fiji, Tahiti
Cyclosa longicauda (Taczanowski, 1878) – Colombia, Peru, Argentina
Cyclosa longquan Mi, Wang & Li, 2024 – China
Cyclosa machadinho Levi, 1999 – Brazil, Argentina
Cyclosa maderiana Kulczyński, 1899 – Madeira, Canary Islands
Cyclosa maritima Tanikawa, 1992 – Japan
Cyclosa mavaca Levi, 1999 – Colombia, Venezuela
Cyclosa meruensis Tullgren, 1910 – Tanzania
Cyclosa micula (Thorell, 1893) – India, Singapore
Cyclosa minora Yin, Zhu & Wang, 1995 – China
Cyclosa mocoa Levi, 1999 – Colombia
Cyclosa mohini Dyal, 1935 – Pakistan
Cyclosa monteverde Levi, 1999 – Costa Rica, Panama
Cyclosa monticola Bösenberg & Strand, 1906 – China, Korea, Taiwan, Japan, Russia, (Far East)
Cyclosa moonduensis Tikader, 1963 – India
Cyclosa morretes Levi, 1999 – Brazil
Cyclosa mulmeinensis (Thorell, 1887) – Asia (without Russia)
Cyclosa neilensis Tikader, 1977 – India
Cyclosa nevada Levi, 1999 – Colombia
Cyclosa nigra Yin, Wang, Xie & Peng, 1990 – China, Vietnam
Cyclosa nodosa (O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1889) – Guatemala, Costa Rica
Cyclosa norihisai Tanikawa, 1992 – China, Japan
Cyclosa oatesi (Thorell, 1892) – Myanmar (Table Is.)
Cyclosa octotuberculata Karsch, 1879 – China, Korea, Taiwan, Japan
Cyclosa oculata (Walckenaer, 1802) – Europe, Russia (Europe to Far East), Caucasus, Kazakhstan, Central Asia, China. Introduced to South Africa, Hawaii
Cyclosa odateana Kishida, 1915 – Japan
Cyclosa ojeda Levi, 1999 – Curaçao
Cyclosa okumae Tanikawa, 1992 – Russia (Far East), Korea, Japan
Cyclosa olivenca Levi, 1999 – Brazil
Cyclosa olorina Simon, 1900 – Hawaii
Cyclosa omonaga Tanikawa, 1992 – China, Korea, Taiwan, Japan
Cyclosa onoi Tanikawa, 1992 – Russia (Far East), China, Korea, Japan
Cyclosa oseret Levi, 1999 – Brazil
Cyclosa otsomarka Barrion & Litsinger, 1995 – Philippines
Cyclosa pantanal Levi, 1999 – Brazil
Cyclosa parangmulmeinensis Barrion & Litsinger, 1995 – Philippines
Cyclosa parangtarugoa Barrion & Litsinger, 1995 – Philippines
Cyclosa paupercula Simon, 1893 – Malaysia (Borneo)
Cyclosa pedropalo Levi, 1999 – Colombia
Cyclosa pellaxoides Roewer, 1942 – Singapore
Cyclosa pentatuberculata Yin, Zhu & Wang, 1995 – China
Cyclosa perkinsi Simon, 1900 – Hawaii
Cyclosa picchu Levi, 1999 – Peru
Cyclosa pichilinque Levi, 1999 – Mexico
Cyclosa poweri (Rainbow, 1916) – Australia (New South Wales)
Cyclosa pseudoculata Schenkel, 1936 – China
Cyclosa psylla (Thorell, 1887) – Myanmar, Japan
Cyclosa punctata Keyserling, 1879 – Brazil
Cyclosa punjabiensis Ghafoor & Beg, 2002 – Pakistan
Cyclosa purnai Keswani, 2013 – India
Cyclosa pusilla Simon, 1880 – New Caledonia
Cyclosa quinqueguttata (Thorell, 1881) – India, Bhutan, Myanmar, China, Taiwan
Cyclosa reniformis Zhu, Lian & Chen, 2006 – China
Cyclosa rostrata Zhou & Zhang, 2017 – China
Cyclosa rubronigra Caporiacco, 1947 – Costa Rica, Brazil
Cyclosa sachikoae Tanikawa, 1992 – Japan, China
Cyclosa saismarka Barrion & Litsinger, 1995 – Pakistan, Philippines
Cyclosa sanctibenedicti (Vinson, 1863) – Réunion
Cyclosa santafe Levi, 1999 – Colombia
Cyclosa sedeculata Karsch, 1879 – Russia (Far East), China, Korea, Japan
Cyclosa senticauda Zhu & Wang, 1994 – China
Cyclosa serena Levi, 1999 – Chile, Argentina
Cyclosa seriata (Thorell, 1881) – Indonesia (Java)
Cyclosa shinoharai Tanikawa & Ono, 1993 – Taiwan
Cyclosa sierrae Simon, 1870 – Southern Europe, Hungary, Ukraine, Turkey, Caucasus, Iran
Cyclosa simoni Tikader, 1982 – India
Cyclosa simplicicauda Simon, 1900 – Hawaii
- C. s. rufescens Simon, 1900 – Hawaii
Cyclosa spirifera Simon, 1889 – Pakistan, India
Cyclosa tamanaco Levi, 1999 – Trinidad
Cyclosa tapetifaciens Hingston, 1932 – Panama, Argentina
Cyclosa tardipes (Thorell, 1895) – Myanmar
- C. t. ignava (Thorell, 1895) – Myanmar
Cyclosa tauraai Berland, 1933 – French Polynesia (Marquesas Is., Society Is.)
Cyclosa teresa Levi, 1999 – Brazil
Cyclosa tricolor (Leardi, 1902) – Philippines
Cyclosa trilobata (Urquhart, 1885) – Australia, Tasmania, New Zealand
Cyclosa tripartita Tullgren, 1910 – Tanzania
Cyclosa triquetra Simon, 1895 – Mexico, Caribbean, Peru
Cyclosa tropica Biswas & Raychaudhuri, 1998 – Bangladesh
Cyclosa tuberascens Simon, 1906 – India
Cyclosa turbinata (Walckenaer, 1841) – United States, Panama, West Indies, Galapagos. Introduced to Hawaii
Cyclosa turvo Levi, 1999 – Brazil
Cyclosa vallata (Keyserling, 1886) – China, Korea, Taiwan, Japan, Papua New Guinea, Australia (Queensland)
Cyclosa vankhedensis Dhande, Bodkhe & Ahmad, 2017 – India
Cyclosa vicente Levi, 1999 – Colombia, Brazil, Argentina
Cyclosa vieirae Levi, 1999 – Peru, Brazil
Cyclosa walckenaeri (O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1889) – United States, Guyana, Caribbean
Cyclosa woyangchuan F. Zhang, M. S. Zhang & Zhu, 2010 – China
Cyclosa xanthomelas Simon, 1900 – Hawaii
Cyclosa xingqing Mi, Wang & Li, 2024 – China
Cyclosa yaginumai Biswas & Raychaudhuri, 1998 – Bangladesh
Cyclosa zhangmuensis Hu & Li, 1987 – China
Cyclosa zhui Zhou & Zhang, 2017 – China

References

^ ^a ^b "Genus Cyclosa". World Spider Catalog. doi:10.24436/2. Retrieved 26 September 2025.
^ ^a ^b "Genus Cyclosa". BugGuide. Retrieved 2019-05-13.
^ Menge, A. (1866). "Preussische Spinnen. Erste Abtheilung. Schriften der Naturforschenden Gesellschaft in Danzig". Schriften der Naturforschenden Gesellschaft in Danzig.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d Olah, George; Torres, Phillip J.; Pomerantz, Aaron F.; Kirby, Richard; Baxter, Simon; Grados, Juan; Reeves, Lawrence E. (2025). "Cyclosa Menge, 1866 (Araneidae) Orb-Weavers Build Stabilimenta That Resemble Larger Spiders". Ecology and Evolution. 15 (11): e72371. doi:10.1002/ece3.72371. ISSN 2045-7758. PMC 12589895. PMID 41209359.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: article number as page number (link)
^ Nakata, Kensuke; Zschokke, Samuel (2010). "Upside-down spiders build upside-down orb webs: web asymmetry, spider orientation and running speed in Cyclosa". Proceedings of the Royal Society B. 277 (1696). Royal Society: 3019–3025. doi:10.1098/rspb.2010.0729. PMC 2982030. PMID 20462900.
^ Takasuka, Keizo; Yasui, Tomoki; Ishigami, Toru; Nakata, Kensuke; Matsumoto, Rikio; Ikeda, Kenichi; Maeto, Kaoru (2015-08-01). "Host manipulation by an ichneumonid spider ectoparasitoid that takes advantage of preprogrammed web-building behaviour for its cocoon protection". Journal of Experimental Biology. 218 (15): 2326–2332. Bibcode:2015JExpB.218.2326T. doi:10.1242/jeb.122739. ISSN 0022-0949. PMID 26246608.
^ Arielle Duhaime-Ross (August 6, 2015). "Zombie spider builds a stronger web for the parasitic wasp that's sucking its blood". The Verge. Retrieved 2015-09-14.
^ Walker, Matt (6 July 2009). "Spider builds life-sized decoys". BBC News. Retrieved 2021-09-26.
^ Oxford, G.S.; Gillespie, R.G. (1998). "Evolution and Ecology of Spider Coloration". Annual Review of Entomology. 43: 619–643. doi:10.1146/annurev.ento.43.1.619. PMID 15012400. S2CID 6963733.