Social spider

Most species of social spiders live in the tropical regions of the world where size and density of their prey – insects – is highest.

Nest maintenance does not rely solely on an individual in a colony setting and thus saves on a per-capita investment in maintaining silk structures.

Predator defense is also increased in a colony with a large web and multiple individuals analogous to schools of fish or herds of mammals.

[11] Even widow spiders (genus Latrodectus), which are notoriously aggressive and cannibalistic, have formed small colonies in captivity, sharing webs and feeding together.

Any female has the potential to reproduce, therefore differences in the reproductive success is due to competition for scarce food resources rather than the existence of physically distinct castes.

[14] Many more species of spider are considered to be more sub-social than quasi-social – meaning they lack fixed or complex social organization.

[17][18] Several social spiders including Parasteatoda wau and Anelosimus eximius also swarm in an analogous way to the eusocial ants, bees and wasps.

After courtship and copulation, but prior to oviposition, many females will emigrate to a new nesting site and deposit their eggs, forming a new colony.