People like to say disco is “dead”, but the ABBA blasting in my headphones every morning, and this insanely unique spider, beg to differ.

“Disco Spider” (Possibly: Cyrtarachne inaequalis)

While scientists are unsure if this spider can be identified as Cyrtarachne inaequalis, they know for certain that it belongs to the genus Cyrtarachne: they are sometimes called “bird-dropping spiders” for their resemblance to bird feces. As orb-weaver spiders, they spin large webs, but unlike most orb-weavers, they make specific kinds of webs called “spanning-thread webs” that have smaller radii, don’t spiral, and are spaced wider.

While most Cyrtarachne inaequalis live in Myanmar, India, China, and Korea, this “Disco Spider” has been regularly photographed in Singapore. Scientists are unaware of the purpose of this spider’s colorful pulsations; however, they speculate that these colorful displays could be used to attract prey, dissuade predators, or are simply their digestive fluids at work within them.

While these spiders are extremely interesting, there is not much information out there about this particular species. For all we know, it could be an understudied species. For all we know, it could be a new species. For all we know…these scientists could just be really bad at identifying spiders.

Feel free to check out the video here: https://youtu.be/Jc597oMTZ-s?si=UHv2MKFHVGSOxdXp

In other news, more relevant news, I’m pleased to announce to the people who read these blog posts that I actually did get another tattoo! If you can recall, I mentioned that I really wanted to get a Furrow Spider on my left arm because of its significance to my childhood as well as its significance as an orb-weaver spider. See, orb-weavers can symbolize taking control of one’s own life. Like a person creates their own life, spiders create their own webs, and depending on the type of person and the type of spider, this can be especially metaphorical. Many orb-weavers rebuild their webs every day, recycling the material to create better webs than they’ve built before, just like how a person can take their life experiences and rebuild a better life for themselves any day they so choose.

College has offered me the amazing opportunity to not only take control of my own life as a young adult but has offered me multiple opportunities to begin building a life that I see fit for myself. However, as I do this, I can’t help but be reminded of the people and things that have led me to where I am today, and while this spider represents my new beginnings, it also represents my childhood and my first home.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyrtarachne_inaequalis

https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/article/spiders-pulsating-mystery-singapore