Cyrtarachne is a genus of orb-weaver spiders first described by Tamerlan Thorell in 1868.
Life style Cyrtarachne construct “spanning thread-webs”, a basic orb-web, but the web diameter, sticky spiral spacing and viscid thread diameter differ from that of typical orb-webs.
The viscid threads are studded with large droplets. Each of the short threads between the radii is known as a spanning thread, and is unique in that it breaks when prey comes into contact with it. The prey flies into the web, gets stuck to a viscid thread, the thread breaks, and the spider pulls the prey up to the hub of the web to feed. During the day the spider rests on close-by vegetation mimicking bird-droppings.
Description
Females are 5–8 mm in total length, while males are 2–3 mm. The female carapace is brown and shiny, convex and simple. The ocular quadrangle is slightly wider than long, with lateral eyes contiguous. The abdomen is large and triangular, wider than long, decorated with horizontal bands of white and brown centrally, with paired sigilla. The dorsum is shiny, appearing hard and shell-like. The legs are short with leathery integument and coloured bands and patches. Males differ from females and are much smaller.
Species , this genus includes 54 species and two subspecies:
Cyrtarachne akirai Tanikawa, 2013 – China, Korea, Taiwan, Japan Cyrtarachne avimerdaria Tikader, 1963 – India Cyrtarachne bengalensis Tikader, 1961 – India, China Cyrtarachne bicolor Thorell, 1898 – Myanmar Cyrtarachne bigibbosa Simon, 1907 – São Tomé and Príncipe, Equatorial Guinea (Bioko) Cyrtarachne bilunulata Thorell, 1899 – Cameroon Cyrtarachne biswajiti Biswas & Raychaudhuri, 2020 – Bangladesh Cyrtarachne biswamoyi Tikader, 1961 – India Cyrtarachne bufo (Bösenberg & Strand, 1906) – China, Korea, Japan Cyrtarachne cingulata Thorell, 1895 – Myanmar Cyrtarachne conica O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1901 – Singapore Cyrtarachne dimidiata Thorell, 1895 – Myanmar Cyrtarachne fangchengensis Yin & Zhao, 1994 – China Cyrtarachne finniganae Lessert, 1936 – Mozambique Cyrtarachne flavopicta Thorell, 1899 – Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea Cyrtarachne friederici Strand, 1911 – New Guinea Cyrtarachne gibbifera Simon, 1899 – Indonesia (Sumatra) Cyrtarachne gilva Yin & Zhao, 1994 – China Cyrtarachne grubei (Keyserling, 1864) – Mauritius (type species) Cyrtarachne guttigera Simon, 1909 – Vietnam Cyrtarachne heminaria Simon, 1909 – Vietnam Cyrtarachne histrionica Thorell, 1898 – Myanmar Cyrtarachne hubeiensis Yin & Zhao, 1994 – China Cyrtarachne ignava Thorell, 1895 – Myanmar Cyrtarachne inaequalis Thorell, 1895 – India, China, Korea, Myanmar Cyrtarachne invenusta Thorell, 1891 – India (Nicobar Is.) Cyrtarachne ixoides (Simon, 1870) – Mediterranean, Caucasus, South Africa, Madagascar Cyrtarachne jucunda Tanikawa, 2013 – Japan Cyrtarachne kaikobadi Biswas & Raychaudhuri, 2025 – Bangladesh Cyrtarachne lactea Pocock, 1898 – East Africa Cyrtarachne laevis Thorell, 1877 – Indonesia (Sumatra, Flores, Sulawesi) Cyrtarachne latifrons Hogg, 1900 – Australia (Victoria) C. l. atuberculata Hogg, 1900 – Australia (Victoria) Cyrtarachne lepida Thorell, 1890 – Indonesia (Sumatra) Cyrtarachne madagascariensis Emerit, 2000 – Madagascar Cyrtarachne melanoleuca Ono, 1995 – Thailand Cyrtarachne melanosticta Thorell, 1895 – Myanmar Cyrtarachne menghaiensis Yin, Peng & Wang, 1994 – China Cyrtarachne nagasakiensis Strand, 1918 – Pakistan, India, China, Korea, Japan Cyrtarachne nodosa Thorell, 1899 – Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea (Bioko), Yemen Cyrtarachne pallida O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1885 – Pakistan, India Cyrtarachne perspicillata (Doleschall, 1859) – Sri Lanka, Indonesia (Sumatra, Java), New Guinea C. p. possoica Merian, 1911 – Indonesia (Sulawesi) Cyrtarachne promilai Tikader, 1963 – India Cyrtarachne raniceps Pocock, 1900 – India, Sri Lanka Cyrtarachne rubicunda L. Koch, 1871 – Australia (New South Wales) Cyrtarachne schmidi Tikader, 1963 – India, China Cyrtarachne sundari Tikader, 1963 – India, Bangladesh Cyrtarachne sunjoymongai Ahmed, Sumukha, Khalap, Mohan & Jadhav, 2015 – India Cyrtarachne szetschuanensis Schenkel, 1963 – China Cyrtarachne termitophila Lawrence, 1952 – DR Congo Cyrtarachne tricolor (Doleschall, 1859) – Indonesia, (Moluccas) Cyrtarachne tuladepilachna Barrion & Litsinger, 1995 – Philippines Cyrtarachne wayanadensis Jwala, Sen & Sureshan, 2022 – India Cyrtarachne xanthopyga Kulczyński, 1911 – New Guinea Cyrtarachne yunoharuensis Strand, 1918 – China, Korea, Japan
References