About Cyrtarachne ixoides (Simon, 1870)
Cyrtarachne ixoides (Simon, 1870) is a species of spider in the family Araneidae, commonly known as the bird dropping araneid spider. It has a wide recorded distribution that ranges from the Mediterranean basin to Georgia and Madagascar. In South Africa, this species is found in four provinces, at altitudes between 16 and 1656 m above sea level. This spider inhabits the Grassland biome. It constructs specialized webs called spanning thread-webs, which are a type of basic orb web. These webs differ from typical orb webs in web diameter, sticky spiral spacing, and viscid thread diameter. The viscid threads of these webs are covered in large droplets. Each short thread between the radii of the web is called a spanning thread, and has a unique trait: it breaks when prey comes into contact with it. When prey flies into the web and gets stuck on a viscid thread, the spanning thread breaks, and the spider pulls the stuck prey up to the web's hub to feed. During the day, the spider rests on nearby vegetation, where it mimics bird droppings.
