Social living in adult spiders is extremely rare, occurring in less than 0.1% of about 30 000 living spider species. However, within the eresid spider genus Stegodyphus sociality evolved three times independently. We therefore studied African Stegodyphus species in the field in East and South Africa as well as in the laboratory to analyze the proximate mechanisms how sociality evolved, and the ultimate consequences why sociality is phylogenetically preserved.
	Bionomics Ecology and nest function - Ökologie und Nestfunktion Sociogenesis - Sozialverhalten Interfering solitary species - Gefahr durch eine solitäre Art Conclusions - Schlussfolgerungen
Semi-adult colony members of Stegodyphus dumicola attacking a large hymenopteran    © Seibt

The Genus Stegodyphus (Eresidae) comprises 17 species, forming three species groups (africanus, mirandus, dufouri). Each species group evolved one social species that has one solitary sister species. © Seibt & Wickler