Web Debris Spider

Description:

Araneidae; Cyclosa Menge, 1866. Cyclosa sp. This Web Debris Spider was identified without too much effort, because it was sitting on some detritus right at the centre of its orb web and also because two "bumps" or, more correctly, tubercles at the posterior of its abdomen. I now know that the presence of these tubercles is a good indicator that the spider is probably a Cyclosa sp. However, it must be remembered that although this is a common feature among Cyclosa spp., not all have them.

Habitat:

This Cyclosa sp. was spotted in our front garden. Its web was attached to some tall plants, close to the front wall of our house. It was fairly inconspicuous and I only noticed it because I was taking pictures of some of my wife's plants.

Notes:

I have been noticing that the orb webs of Cyclosa spp. (at least, those which I have seen) appear to have a particular style which I think I will recognise going forward. That is probably a rather naive thing to say, because it is well known that knowing the style of a web often (but not in every case) enables identification of the spider which created it. What I am trying to say is that even an amateur like me can improve his ability to identify spiders by paying attention to the web as well as the spider. Happy spotting.