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Cyclosa conica is a small
spider with no
common name. It is an orb weaver,
and it is easily recognized by the way it strings together the dead
bodies of insects and other debris and hangs it near the center of its
web.
It hides on this string of debris, and its natural coloration
makes it extremely difficult to see until it moves. One of its defenses
against
predators is to blend in with this debris and to feign death when
disturbed. These spiders are small. The females range from 5.3 mm. to
7.5 mm., and the males range from 3.6 mm. to 4 mm.
An odd looking spider this one. It
has a single tubercle (hump) on the rear of its abdomen and builds a web
with stabilimentum (lines across the center of the web) which it often
covers in dead insects. This spider can be quite variable in colour and
pattern, however its shape is so distinctive that it is hard to mistake.
The colouring oranges from deep orange to almost white and also green
and brown.
When a fly hits this spider's web it
will immediately rush straight towards the fly, most spiders will shake
their webs first.
Information
and pictures were taken from children's projects and where credited to that
child does not claim to be original information. Where possible, permission
to reproduce has been sought. Any infringement of copyright is purely
unintentional.
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