''Cyrba'' is a
genus
Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus com ...
of
spider
Spiders ( order Araneae) are air-breathing arthropods that have eight legs, chelicerae with fangs generally able to inject venom, and spinnerets that extrude silk. They are the largest order of arachnids and rank seventh in total species ...
s in the family
Salticidae (jumping spiders). The genus was erected by
Hippolyte Lucas
Pierre-Hippolyte Lucas (17 January 1814 – 5 July 1899) was a French entomologist.
Lucas was an assistant- naturalist at the Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle. From 1839 to 1842 he studied fauna as part of the scientific commission on the e ...
in 1846.
Description
''Cyrba'' spiders are small to medium size spiders that are usually brightly colored. Their
cephalothorax
The cephalothorax, also called prosoma in some groups, is a tagma of various arthropods, comprising the head and the thorax fused together, as distinct from the abdomen behind. (The terms ''prosoma'' and ''opisthosoma'' are equivalent to ''cepha ...
is long and moderately high. The eyes are
lateral
Lateral is a geometric term of location which may refer to:
Healthcare
*Lateral (anatomy), an anatomical direction
*Lateral cricoarytenoid muscle
*Lateral release (surgery), a surgical procedure on the side of a kneecap
Phonetics
*Lateral cons ...
. The
abdomen
The abdomen (colloquially called the belly, tummy, midriff, tucky or stomach) is the part of the body between the thorax (chest) and pelvis, in humans and in other vertebrates. The abdomen is the front part of the abdominal segment of the torso. ...
is long with bright colorful patterns. Their legs are thin and slender. The genus has been described as
primitive because of their pervasive use of
webs, large
posterior median
In statistics and probability theory, the median is the value separating the higher half from the lower half of a data sample, a population, or a probability distribution. For a data set, it may be thought of as "the middle" value. The basic fe ...
eyes, and the secretory organs on the
femora
The femur (; ), or thigh bone, is the proximal bone of the hindlimb in tetrapod vertebrates. The head of the femur articulates with the acetabulum in the pelvic bone forming the hip joint, while the distal part of the femur articulates with t ...
of males. These characteristics were lost by advanced salticids. The genus are also almost wholly dependent on their
vision
Vision, Visions, or The Vision may refer to:
Perception Optical perception
* Visual perception, the sense of sight
* Visual system, the physical mechanism of eyesight
* Computer vision, a field dealing with how computers can be made to gain un ...
. The primary mating season for the spider ''C. algerina'' is May. Juveniles emerge in July, grow to about half the adult size by winter, and then grow to adult size in the spring of the following year.
The genus is commonly found on very rocky ground under rocks, or less often walking around on the ground or on the tops of rocks.
Silk and eggs
The spider spins
silk
Silk is a natural protein fiber, some forms of which can be woven into textiles. The protein fiber of silk is composed mainly of fibroin and is produced by certain insect larvae to form cocoons. The best-known silk is obtained from the coc ...
on which to
moult
In biology, moulting (British English), or molting (American English), also known as sloughing, shedding, or in many invertebrates, ecdysis, is the manner in which an animal routinely casts off a part of its body (often, but not always, an outer ...
. ''Cyrba'' makes an
egg sac
Spiders (order (biology), order Araneae) are air-breathing arthropods that have eight legs, chelicerae with fangs generally able to inject venom, and spinnerets that extrude spider silk, silk. They are the largest order of arachnids and rank ...
by spinning a thick
silk
Silk is a natural protein fiber, some forms of which can be woven into textiles. The protein fiber of silk is composed mainly of fibroin and is produced by certain insect larvae to form cocoons. The best-known silk is obtained from the coc ...
sheet on the side of a rock, and then
oviposit
The ovipositor is a tube-like organ used by some animals, especially insects, for the laying of eggs. In insects, an ovipositor consists of a maximum of three pairs of appendages. The details and morphology of the ovipositor vary, but typical ...
ing the eggs in the center, covering them with another layer of silk. The egg sacs have clusters of white spots. ''Cyrba'' spiders generally stay with their eggs until they hatch. In a laboratory, they do not spin silk for moulting or resting.
Diet
Spiders in this genus feed on other spiders, and prefer them to insects. They also feed on any insect that is caught in their silk. In a laboratory test to see if ''Cyrba'' spiders would attack other salticids, they did not.
The spider ''C. algerina'' is the only spider in the genus that is known to hunt at night.
Species
, the
World Spider Catalog
The World Spider Catalog (WSC) is an online searchable database concerned with spider taxonomy. It aims to list all accepted families, genera and species, as well as provide access to the related taxonomic literature. The WSC began as a series of ...
accepted 9 species:
* ''
Cyrba algerina
''Cyrba'' is a genus of spiders in the family Jumping spider, Salticidae (jumping spiders). The genus was erected by Hippolyte Lucas in 1846.
Description
''Cyrba'' spiders are small to medium size spiders that are usually brightly colored. Thei ...
''
(Lucas, 1846) –
Canary Islands
The Canary Islands (; es, Canarias, ), also known informally as the Canaries, are a Spanish autonomous community and archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean, in Macaronesia. At their closest point to the African mainland, they are west of Morocc ...
to
Central Asia
Central Asia, also known as Middle Asia, is a subregion, region of Asia that stretches from the Caspian Sea in the west to western China and Mongolia in the east, and from Afghanistan and Iran in the south to Russia in the north. It includes t ...
* ''
Cyrba boveyi
''Cyrba'' is a genus of spiders in the family Salticidae (jumping spiders). The genus was erected by Hippolyte Lucas in 1846.
Description
''Cyrba'' spiders are small to medium size spiders that are usually brightly colored. Their cephalothora ...
''
Lessert, 1933 –
Central Africa
Central Africa is a subregion of the African continent comprising various countries according to different definitions. Angola, Burundi, the Central African Republic, Chad, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the Republic of the Congo, ...
* ''
Cyrba dotata
''Cyrba'' is a genus of spiders in the family Salticidae (jumping spiders). The genus was erected by Hippolyte Lucas in 1846.
Description
''Cyrba'' spiders are small to medium size spiders that are usually brightly colored. Their cephalothora ...
''
Peckham & Peckham, 1903 – South Africa
* ''
Cyrba legendrei
''Cyrba'' is a genus of spiders in the family Salticidae (jumping spiders). The genus was erected by Hippolyte Lucas in 1846.
Description
''Cyrba'' spiders are small to medium size spiders that are usually brightly colored. Their cephalothora ...
''
Wanless, 1984 –
Madagascar
Madagascar (; mg, Madagasikara, ), officially the Republic of Madagascar ( mg, Repoblikan'i Madagasikara, links=no, ; french: République de Madagascar), is an island country in the Indian Ocean, approximately off the coast of East Africa ...
,
Comoro Islands
The Comoro Islands or Comoros ( Shikomori ''Komori''; ar, جزر القمر , ''Juzur al-qamar''; french: Les Comores) form an archipelago of volcanic islands situated off the southeastern coast of Africa, to the east of Mozambique and northw ...
* ''
Cyrba lineata
''Cyrba'' is a genus of spiders in the family Salticidae (jumping spiders). The genus was erected by Hippolyte Lucas in 1846.
Description
''Cyrba'' spiders are small to medium size spiders that are usually brightly colored. Their cephalothora ...
''
Wanless, 1984 – South Africa
* ''
Cyrba nigrimana
''Cyrba'' is a genus of spiders in the family Jumping spider, Salticidae (jumping spiders). The genus was erected by Hippolyte Lucas in 1846.
Description
''Cyrba'' spiders are small to medium size spiders that are usually brightly colored. Thei ...
''
Simon, 1900 – South,
East Africa
East Africa, Eastern Africa, or East of Africa, is the eastern subregion of the African continent. In the United Nations Statistics Division scheme of geographic regions, 10-11-(16*) territories make up Eastern Africa:
Due to the historical ...
* ''
Cyrba ocellata''
(Kroneberg, 1875) –
Somalia
Somalia, , Osmanya script: 𐒈𐒝𐒑𐒛𐒐𐒘𐒕𐒖; ar, الصومال, aṣ-Ṣūmāl officially the Federal Republic of SomaliaThe ''Federal Republic of Somalia'' is the country's name per Article 1 of thProvisional Constituti ...
,
Sudan
Sudan ( or ; ar, السودان, as-Sūdān, officially the Republic of the Sudan ( ar, جمهورية السودان, link=no, Jumhūriyyat as-Sūdān), is a country in Northeast Africa. It shares borders with the Central African Republic t ...
to
China
China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...
,
Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...
* ''
Cyrba simoni''
Wijesinghe, 1993 – tropical Africa
* ''
Cyrba szechenyii''
Karsch, 1898 –
Hong Kong
Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China ( abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China on the eastern Pearl River Delt ...
References
{{Taxonbar , from=Q1731898
Salticidae
Salticidae genera
Spiders of Africa
Spiders of Australia
Spiders of Asia