Cyclosa species

Fact Box Species: Cyclosa insulana (RM) or Cyclosa trilobata (JS) Family: Araneidae formerly Argiopidae Body length: female: 9 mm male: 5 mm Habitat: In a small circular orb web in low shrubs; the centre of the web usually has several loops of silk that is coarser than the outer regions Toxicity: This spider may be too small to cause illness in humans

In its web Oblique view Another specimen Its debris string

The three-pronged tail is a characteristic of Cyclosa species but is variable in appearance between species and even within the same species. The same variability is seen in the spiders' surface markings.

Cyclosa species typically build a web with a central component of heavy zigzag silk but there may also (or alternatively) be a string of insect debris stretched across their web.

Spider(s) with a very similar appearance: Cyclosa species.