Trashline Orb Weavers

A trashline orb weaver found near Dallas, TX.

Trashline orb weavers (genus Cyclosa) are quite fascinating little spiders. For starters, their abdomens are somewhat conical rather than rounded like most spiders. Secondly, and this is where they get their name, they line up debris in their webs in a vertical line and then sit somewhere in that line. This behavior is believed to make it harder for birds or other predators to find the spider in the web.

A great view of the "trashline" in the web. I found this one up Hobble Creek Canyon in Utah.


In the years I've been collecting bugs, I'd collected trashline orb weavers on several occasions. I found them interesting due to the shape of their abdomens, but I'd never bothered to figure out what kind of spider they were. Once I learned what these funny shaped spiders were, I all of a sudden started seeing them everywhere! Awareness of what these spiders were definitely led to an increased ability to find them.

Here are some further resources about trashline orb weavers:


Another one from Hobble Creek Canyon.

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