Stegodyphus dumicola

African social spider
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Subphylum:	Chelicerata
Class:	Arachnida
Order:	Araneae
Infraorder:	Araneomorphae
Family:	Eresidae
Genus:	Stegodyphus
Species:	S. dumicola
Binomial name
Stegodyphus dumicola Pocock, 1898
Synonyms

Stegodyphus dumicola, commonly known as the African social spider, is a species of spider of the family Eresidae, or the velvet spider family. It is native to Central and southern Africa. This spider is one of three Stegodyphus spiders that lives a social lifestyle (S. lineatus, S. mimosarum, and S. dumicola). This spider has been studied living in large natal colonies (ranging from tens to hundreds of highly related spiders) in large, unkempt webs. Each colony is composed mainly of females, where a minority (forty percent) act as reproducers, and a majority (sixty percent) remain childless and take care of the young. Males live a shorter lifespan, during which they will largely remain in the natal nest. Females are known for extreme allomaternal care, since all females – even unmated virgin ones – will take care of the young until they are eventually consumed by the brood.

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  Female spiders on web
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  Stegodyphus dumicola nest