The colonial spider Stegodyphus sarasinorum, also called the Indian cooperative spider, is a velvet spider that lives permanently in groups. Its large silk nests and cooperative behaviour make it different from most spiders, which live alone.
Basic Details
- Scientific name: Stegodyphus sarasinorum.
- Family and order: Family Eresidae (velvet spiders), order Araneae.
- Common name: Indian cooperative spider or Indian social spider.
- Distribution: India, Sri Lanka, Nepal and Myanmar.
- Habitat: Dry and semi-arid areas with shrubs, trees or other strong vegetation that can support a communal silk nest and capture web.
Key Characteristics
- Permanent social life: Adults live together in long-lasting colonies. This is unusual because most spider species are solitary.
- Communal nest: Colony members build and maintain a shared silk nest. A larger sheet web around it traps insect prey.
- Cooperative prey capture: Spiders respond to vibrations from trapped prey. Several individuals can attack, drag and feed on the same prey.
- Shared food and care: Colony life allows members to share prey and contribute to brood care and nest maintenance.
- Silk-based habitat engineering: The nest and web create a stable shelter and feeding space within the surrounding vegetation.
Ecological Role
- Insect predator: The species captures flying and crawling insects, linking it to food-web processes in shrubland habitats.
- Colony microhabitat: Its nests and webs can host other arthropods. This makes a colony a small ecological community, not only a spider shelter.
- Indicator of habitat structure: Large colonies need suitable vegetation and prey availability. Their presence can reflect the condition of dry-shrub habitats.
Research Significance
- Understanding animal cooperation: The species helps researchers study how group living, division of work and shared prey capture evolve in animals.
- Venom biomolecules: Its venom gland contains proteins and small molecules that can be screened as early drug leads. Each molecule still needs separate safety and efficacy testing.
- Indian biodiversity value: Research on a South Asian spider expands knowledge of India’s poorly studied arachnid diversity and its possible biotechnological uses.
Source: Arachnology Letters; Scientific Reports