Social-spider

Guides

• Cyrtophora

  tent-web spiders, tentweb weavers

  Cyrtophora is a genus of tent-web spiders in the family Araneidae. Despite being classified as orb-weavers, these spiders construct horizontal, tent-like non-sticky webs rather than traditional orb webs. Many species exhibit colonial behavior, with multiple individuals sharing extensive web structures. The genus is distributed across tropical and subtropical regions worldwide, with some species introduced to new areas. Females typically reach about 10 mm in body length.

  orb-weavercolonialtent-webagricultural-pest-controlsocial-spidersilk-biophysics

• Cyrtophora citricola

  Tropical Tent-web Spider, Tropical Tent-web Orbweaver

  Cyrtophora citricola is a colonial orb-weaver spider in the family Araneidae, notable for building horizontal, non-adhesive tent-shaped webs rather than typical vertical orb webs. The species exhibits remarkable social flexibility, living either solitarily or in colonies where individual webs are interconnected. Native to Africa, Asia, and parts of Europe, it has expanded to the Americas since 2000, including Florida and Puerto Rico. Females reach 10 mm in body length while males are markedly smaller at 3 mm. The species shows pronounced sexual dimorphism and has become significant in agricultural contexts both as a pest and as a potential biological control agent.

  colonial-spiderorb-weaveragricultural-pestbiological-controlsexual-dimorphismsocial-spiderinvasive-speciestent-web

• Desidae

  intertidal spiders, desid spiders

  Desidae is a family of spiders with remarkable ecological diversity, ranging from truly marine intertidal species to inland web-builders. The family was historically defined by intertidal members of the genus Desis, which construct air-filled silk retreats in barnacle shells or kelp holdfasts to survive tidal submersion. Modern circumscription includes inland genera such as Badumna and Phryganoporus. The family contains 63 genera and over 320 species, with the majority native to Australia, New Zealand, and New Caledonia. Some species have become invasive synanthropes, establishing populations in North and South America, Europe, and Asia.

  intertidalmarine-spidersheet-websocial-spiderinvasivesynanthropicAustralasiaSouth-Americakelp-associatedcoral-reef

• Mallos

  Mexican Social Spiders

  Mallos is a genus of cribellate araneomorph spiders in the family Dictynidae, first described by O. Pickard-Cambridge in 1902. The genus is notable for including social spider species, particularly *Mallos gregalis*, which lives in groups and communicates through web vibrations. These spiders produce cribellate silk, a type of woolly, non-sticky silk used in prey capture. The genus has been the subject of systematic research, including studies on their spinning apparatus evolution.

  spiderarachnidsocial-spidercribellate-silkDictynidaeMexicoweb-vibrationcommunal-livingtaxonomysystematicsO.-Pickard-Cambridge

• Mallos niveus

  Mallos niveus is a species of mesh-web weaver spider in the family Dictynidae. It was described by O. Pickard-Cambridge in 1902. The species belongs to a genus whose members are known for their social web-building behavior, though species-specific documentation for M. niveus remains limited. It occurs in the southwestern United States and Mexico.

  AraneaeDictynidaeMallosspidermesh-web-weaversocial-spiderNearcticMexicoUSA1902Pickard-Cambridge

• Metepeira spinipes

  Metepeira spinipes is a colonial orb-weaving spider in the family Araneidae, ranging from southern Oregon through Mexico. Unlike typical solitary orb weavers, this species exhibits flexible social behavior, forming colonies that vary from solitary individuals to aggregations of several hundred spiders with interconnected webs. Mature females measure 5.5–7.2 mm in body length, while males are smaller at 3–4.5 mm. The species shows pronounced seasonal colony dynamics, with foundation in spring, peak size in late summer, and decline in fall.

  orb-weavercolonial-spidersocial-spiderlabyrinth-spiderMexicosouthwestern-United-StatesAraneidae

• Scytodes fusca

  dark common spitting spider, brown spitting spider

  Scytodes fusca is a cosmopolitan spitting spider in the family Scytodidae, native to Central and South America but introduced worldwide. It is notable for exhibiting social behavior unusual among spiders, including tolerance of conspecifics and communal living. The species hunts by projecting sticky venom from its fangs to immobilize prey, a distinctive trait of the Scytodidae family.

  spitting-spidersocial-spidercosmopolitanintroduced-speciesnocturnalcursorial-huntervenom-projection

• Tetragnatha

  Stretch Spiders, Long-jawed Orb Weavers

  Tetragnatha is a large genus of long-jawed orb-weaving spiders with hundreds of species distributed worldwide, though most occur in tropical and subtropical regions. These spiders are characterized by their elongated bodies, extremely long legs, and notably elongated chelicerae (jaws) with well-developed teeth. They construct horizontal orb webs, often near water, and many species can run across water surfaces. The genus exhibits remarkable variation in dispersal ability, with some species being excellent dispersers capable of colonizing islands, while others appear to have secondarily lost this capacity. Hawaiian Tetragnatha species have undergone adaptive radiation, with some lineages evolving cursorial (running) behavior and abandoning web-building entirely.

  spiderorb-weaverlong-jawedaquaticstretch-spideradaptive-radiationHawaiicursorial-evolutionhorizontal-webwater-walkingcamouflagemultivoltinesocial-spiderTetragnathidaeAraneaeArachnidapredatorinsectivoreriparianwetlandmeadowtropicalsubtropicalcosmopolitandispersalisland-colonizationphylogeographychemical-species-recognitioncommunal-webbingkleptoparasitism-target