Larinioides sclopetarius, eine parasoziale Spinne Mitteleuropas?

Larinioides sclopetarius is one of very few Central European spiders known to be found in colonies in which the orb-webs are attached to each other. Indiviuals of different generations cooperate at least in web-building, i.e. they share the same framework or irregular "web carpet". This behaviour is called parasocial and up to now it has been studied mainly in subtropical and tropical species. Parasocial (colonial) life can lead to total degeneration of the orb-webs and is the result of increased tolerance, which depends on local superabundance of prey. Initial surveys in Essen (Germany) showed that groups of 60 to 200 individuals do not seem to be exceptional. More detailed studies on the group-living of L. sclopetarius are needed.