X-Nico

2 unusual facts about eusociality


Agelena consociata

Although these spiders live in colonies consisting of many individuals, each spider acts and breeds individually and there is not any specialization of role as there is with social insects.

Velvet spider

Some species are nearly eusocial, lacking only a specialized caste system and a queen.


Evolution of eusociality

The monogamy hypothesis, formulated by Jacobus Boomsma, is currently the leading hypothesis concerning the evolution of eusociality and uses Hamilton's kin selection approach in a way that applies to both haploid and diploid organisms.

Strumigenys nanzanensis

This ant is similar to Strumigenys minutula but is larger (workers up to 3.2 mm in length), hairier and with straighter mandibular shafts.


see also