Biology:Cyclosa bifida
| Long-bellied Cyclosa Spider | |
|---|---|
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| C. bifida from Australia | |
Scientific classification 
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| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Subphylum: | Chelicerata |
| Class: | Arachnida |
| Order: | Araneae |
| Infraorder: | Araneomorphae |
| Family: | Araneidae |
| Genus: | Cyclosa |
| Species: | C. bifida
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| Binomial name | |
| Cyclosa bifida (Doleschall, 1859)
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| Synonyms | |
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Cyclosa bifida is a species of orb weaver spider in the family Araneidae. It has a wide distribution across South and Southeast Asia, ranging from India to the Philippines and Indonesia, including New Guinea.[1]
Taxonomy
The species was first described by Carl Ludwig Doleschall in 1859 as Epeira bifida.[2] It was later transferred to the genus Cyclosa by Eugène Simon in 1895.[3] The species Epeira macrura, described by Tamerlan Thorell in 1877, was later recognized as a synonym of C. bifida by Thomas Workman in 1896.[4]
Distribution
C. bifida has been recorded from a wide range of locations across Asia.[1] It is found throughout India, including the Khasi Hills and Jaintia Hills of Assam, the Dooars region of West Bengal, and various other states.[5][6][7] The species extends eastward through Southeast Asia, with confirmed records from Thailand, Laos, the Philippines, and Indonesia, including New Guinea.[8][9]
Description
C. bifida exhibits pronounced sexual dimorphism.[4] Females are considerably larger, with a total body length of 11 mm. The cephalothorax measures 2.7 mm in length. The abdomen is 8.5 mm long with a maximum breadth of 3 mm. The legs show the typical proportions for the genus.[4]
Males are much smaller, with a total body length of 3.75 mm. The cephalothorax measures about 1.75 mm in length with a breadth of more than 1 mm. The abdomen is less than 2 mm long with a breadth of 1.2 mm.[4]
Habitat and behavior
According to historical observations from Amboina (modern-day Ambon Island), C. bifida constructs large regular webs in dark places near buildings.[4] The spider positions itself in the middle of its web and secures it with a flat angular cocoon. In Singapore, webs were found to be perpendicular and measured 5 to 7 inches in diameter, with specific structural characteristics including 40-60 rays, 7-11 turns in the inner spiral, and 40-50 turns in the outer spiral. The spider typically does not position itself at the center of the web but rather sideways, sometimes with a leaf attached to the web as camouflage.[4]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 "Cyclosa bifida (Doleschall, 1859)". World Spider Catalog. https://wsc.nmbe.ch/species/3543. Retrieved 3 September 2025.
- ↑ Doleschall, L. (1859). "Tweede Bijdrage tot de kennis der Arachniden van den Indischen Archipel". Acta Societatis Scientiarum Indo-Neerlandicae 5 (5): 1–60. https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/32557564.
- ↑ Simon, E. (1895). Histoire naturelle des araignées. Deuxième édition, tome premier. Paris: Roret. pp. 761–1084.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 Workman, T. (1896). Malaysian spiders. Belfast. pp. 25–104.
- ↑ Tikader, B. K. (1966). "Studies on spider fauna of Khasi and Jaintia Hills, Assam, India". Journal of the Assam Science Society 9: 139–154.
- ↑ Sen, S.; Dhali, D. C.; Saha, S.; Raychaudhuri, D. (2015). "Spiders (Araneae: Arachnida) of reserve forests of Dooars: Gorumara National Park, Chapramari Wildlife Sanctuary and Mahananda Wildlife Sanctuary". World Scientific News 20: 1–339.
- ↑ Roy, T. K.; Saha, S.; Raychaudhuri, D. (2017). "On the araneid fauna (Araneae: Araneidae) of the tea estates of Dooars, West Bengal, India". World Scientific News 67 (1): 1–67.
- ↑ Barrion, A. T.; Litsinger, J. A. (1995). Riceland spiders of South and Southeast Asia. Wallingford, UK: CAB International. pp. 700.
- ↑ Chrysanthus, P. (1971). "Further notes on the spiders of New Guinea I (Argyopidae)". Zoologische Verhandelingen 113: 1–52.
Wikidata ☰ Q1849247 entry
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