Abstract

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Highlights

  • The theridiid genus Anelosimus consists of 26 described species in the Americas. 14 of these are endemic to Chile and the Argentine Patagonia, while the remaining species are widely distributed through Central and South America (Levi, 1956, 1963, 1972)

  • Numbers of colonizations and extinctions of incipient colonies of the social spider Anelosimus eximius were greater at the edges of Amazonian forest

  • well as colony life spans of colonies founded by sociotomy when compared with solitary foundations

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Summary

Introduction

The theridiid genus Anelosimus consists of 26 described species in the Americas. 14 of these are endemic to Chile and the Argentine Patagonia, while the remaining species are widely distributed through Central and South America (Levi, 1956, 1963, 1972). 4 species are known to have highly organized social behavior, and the best known, A. eximius Keyserling ranges from Argentina to Panama (Stejskal, 1976; Vollrath, 1982; Christenson, 1984). Colonies of social species of Anelosimus characteristically have adult sex ratios highly skewed in favor of females (Fowler & Levi, 1979; Vollrath, 1986a, 1986b; Aviles, 1986). Two forms of colony foundation have been recorded in social Anelosimus: dispersion of solitary gravid females, and group migration, or sociotomy (Fowler & Levi, 1979; Vollrath, 1982; Christenson, 1984). Predation is intense on solitary dispersing gravid females (Vollrath, 1982; Christenson, 1984), and this should favor sociotomy (Vollrath, 1982)

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