orb weaver spiders have four eyes.
orb weaver spiders have four eyes.
how many eyes do orb weaver spiders have?
four
allocyclosa is a genus of orb weaver spiders that contains only one species, allocyclosa bifurca. it was first described in 1887 by mccook under the name "cyrtophora bifurca", and was transferred to its own genus in 1999. it is the only "cyclosa" species north of mexico to have a forked tail, hence the name "bifurca", latin for "two-forked". the forked abdomen, bearing two humps shaped like the letter "m", is a defining feature in both males and females, though it is similar to features present in certain "cyrtophora" species. both sexes are a transparent green color, though only females have an area of red on their underside between the epigynum and the spinnerets. females are nearly thirty percent larger than males, ranging from five to nine millimeters, while males range from two to three millimeters. males are very uncommon. in a 1977 study by levi, only two of the nearly 350 specimens that were positively identified as "cyrtophora bifurca" were males. this is a very odd distribution, and it has been posed that females of the species, which have less prominent genitalia relative to other members of the orb-weaver family, may be parthenogenic, or able to reproduce without the help of males. like other members of araneidae, these spiders create orb webs, six to eight inches in diameter, but apply a unique form of protective mimicry. females sit in the middle of a vertical row of web decoration, with egg sacs above and wrapped prey below. because they all have a similar color and shape, it is difficult to discern between the egg sacs, the wrapped prey, and the spider itself.
allocyclosa
cyrtophora









































cyrtophora, the tent-web spiders, is a genus of orb-weaver spiders first described by eugène simon in 1895. although they are in the "orb weaver" family, they do not build orb webs. their tent-like, highly complex non-sticky web is sometimes considered a precursor of the simplified orb web. these webs are aligned horizontally, with a network of supporting threads above them. these spiders often live in colonies. females have a body length of mostly about long. some members, including "cyrtophora cicatrosa", exhibit the ability to change colour rapidly.
cyrtophora