Erste Nachweise sowie Kenntnisse zur Biologie von Cyclosa oculata (Araneae: Araneidae) in der Schweiz

The orb-web spider Cyclosa oculata (Walckenaer, 1802) was found at eleven localities in north-western Switzerland. All records were from wildflower strips ("Buntbrachen") with a relatively high proportion of dried vegetation from the previous year, a relatively low vegetation height and a low proportion of grasses in the vegetation. C. oculata built its vertical orb-web near the ground, deep in the vegetation. Among ecribellate orb-web spiders in Central Europe, C. oculata is unique because it sometimes builds rudimentary webs on which it stays, because it builds its cocoons into the web, and because its stabilimentum is long-lasting and largely of debris. Based on our observations, we deduce that the stabilimentum of C. oculata serves as camouflage.