Box kite spider

Box kite spiders
	I. tabulata
	I. cicatricosa
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Subphylum:	Chelicerata
Class:	Arachnida
Order:	Araneae
Infraorder:	Araneomorphae
Family:	Araneidae
Genus:	Isoxya; Simon, 1885
Type species
	I. cicatricosa; (C. L. Koch, 1844)
Species
	17, see text

Box kite spiders (Isoxya) is a genus of Afrotropical orb-weaver spiders first described by Eugène Simon in 1885. Like the spiny orb-weavers they have six prominent (but short) spines on their abdomen. They are small spiders, measuring 3 to 7 millimetres (0.12 to 0.28 in) across. Isoxya have a sclerotised (or porcelain-like) abdomen which is typical of the Gasteracanthinae.

Description

These spiders have a carapace that is usually as wide as it is long. Their abdomen is brightly decorated with yellow, red or black and white patterns. The dorsal part is hardened to form a rigid scutum bearing large spots and depressions, often prolonged laterally and posteriorly in spine-like extensions.

The spinnerets are surrounded by a sclerotised ring. Legs are relatively short. The eight eyes are in two rows (4:4). Males are much smaller than females and differ in color and shape.

Lifestyle

During the day box kite spiders can be found in large orb-webs usually made high between trees. The web is usually decorated with small silk tufts. The egg sacs are covered with silk and they attach it to vegetation.

Species

I. cicatrosa
I. mossamedensis
I. stuhlmanni

As of September 2025^[update], this genus includes seventeen species:

Isoxya basilewskyi Benoit & Emerit, 1975 – Rwanda, DR Congo
Isoxya cicatricosa (C. L. Koch, 1844) – Central, East, Southern Africa, Yemen (type species)
Isoxya cowani (Butler, 1883) – Madagascar
Isoxya kochi (O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1877) – West, Central, East Africa
Isoxya mahafalensis Emerit, 1974 – Madagascar
Isoxya manangona Agnarsson, Starrett, Babbitz, Bond, Gregorič, Raberahona, Williams & Kuntner, 2023 – Madagascar
Isoxya milloti Emerit, 1974 – Madagascar
Isoxya mossamedensis Benoit, 1962 – Angola, South Africa
Isoxya mucronata (Walckenaer, 1841) – Sudan, DR Congo, South Africa
Isoxya nigromutica (Caporiacco, 1939) – East Africa
Isoxya reuteri (Lenz, 1886) – Madagascar
Isoxya semiflava Simon, 1887 – West, Central Africa
Isoxya somalica (Caporiacco, 1940) – Somalia
Isoxya stuhlmanni (Bösenberg & Lenz, 1895) – DR Congo, Rwanda, Tanzania, Mozambique, South Africa, Eswatini
Isoxya tabulata (Thorell, 1859) – DR Congo, Malawi, Tanzania, Angola, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, South Africa, Eswatini
Isoxya testudinaria (Simon, 1901) – West, Central, East Africa
Isoxya yatesi Emerit, 1973 – South Africa

References

1 2 Larsen, Norman. "Isoxya (box kite spiders)". biodiversity explorer. iziko museums. Archived from the original on 29 March 2013. Retrieved 2013-06-17.
1 2 3 Dippenaar-Schoeman, A.S.; Haddad, C.R.; Foord, S.H.; Lotz, L.N.; Webb, P. (2022). The Araneidae of South Africa. Version 2: part 2 (E-Ne). South African National Survey of Arachnida Photo Identification Guide. p. 34. doi:10.5281/zenodo.6619195. This article incorporates text available under the CC BY 4.0 license.
↑ "Genus Isoxya". World Spider Catalog. doi:10.24436/2. Retrieved 26 September 2025.

External links

Citizen science observations for Box kite spider at iNaturalist

[nl-1] 1 2 Larsen, Norman. "Isoxya (box kite spiders)". biodiversity explorer. iziko museums. Archived from the original on 29 March 2013. Retrieved 2013-06-17.

[dippenaar2022-2] 1 2 3 Dippenaar-Schoeman, A.S.; Haddad, C.R.; Foord, S.H.; Lotz, L.N.; Webb, P. (2022). The Araneidae of South Africa. Version 2: part 2 (E-Ne). South African National Survey of Arachnida Photo Identification Guide. p. 34. doi:10.5281/zenodo.6619195. This article incorporates text available under the CC BY 4.0 license.

[wsc-3] "Genus Isoxya". World Spider Catalog. doi:10.24436/2. Retrieved 26 September 2025.

Box kite spiders

I. tabulata

I. cicatricosa
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Subphylum:	Chelicerata
Class:	Arachnida
Order:	Araneae
Infraorder:	Araneomorphae
Family:	Araneidae
Genus:	Isoxya Simon, 1885
Type species
I. cicatricosa (C. L. Koch, 1844)
Species
17, see text