| Trashline Spider (Cyclosa conica (Pallas, 1772)) |
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Scientific name: Cyclosa conica (Pallas, 1772) Common name: Trashline Spider French name: Cyclose conique Order: Araneae Family: Araneidae Size: 5,3 to 7,5 mm for females; 3,6 to 4 mm for males. Biotope: Woodland areas, parks and gardens. Web: Orb webs characterized by their almost perfect circular shape and by the high number of radii (up to 49). The spider is used to letting dead insect bodies and debris on the web in a alignment which is often vertically oriented. It stands at the centre, with its legs folded against the body, and is then hardly seen by potential predators. Observation period: April to late June. Geographic area: Europe, Central Asia, Japan. North America. A few observations in South America and in North Africa. |
Cyclosa conica is almost always observed in the centre of its web with its legs folded against its body. It shows a lot of variations in colour and in the layout of the various patches. The abdomen bears a tubercle which is giving a pear-shaped body. This particularity increases with age. There are several species of the Cyclosa genus in metropolitan France, but only two of them show an abdomen with only one central tubercle, including Cyclosa conica. So there is a possible confusion with Cyclosa algerica. However this species is rather a Mediterranean species but can also be found further north. You need then a close look at the genitalia with a binocular microscope to tell the species apart. Let's mention, as an additional information, the three species with an abdomen showing two additional lateral tubercles: Cyclosa oculata which has a black cephalothorax, Cyclosa insulana where the central tubercle is between two smaller ones and Cyclosa sierrae which is found in Corsica, Spain and Italy. Cyclosa conica has the particularity to vibrate its body on its web in case of danger. |
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I am observing many webs of Cyclosa conica in my garden not far from Paris. I am telling this species apart as Cyclosa conica because of the northern location in France. |
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To take this picture, I have positioned a beige plastic bucket behind the web to get a pale background colour. |
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The legs folded against the body, immobile among debris, Cyclosa conica is not easily detected by birds. |
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Under side view. |
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With this view you can get an idea of the variations in colour. |
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We can observe the stabilimentum on this new web, without any dead insect bodies. |
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I have observed this male on one border of a web where a female was sitting. |
André Bon March 2017
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