维基百科 Anelosimus is a genus of tangle web spider (Theridiidae) described by Eugène Simon, in 1891, from Venezuela.[1] It includes the South American species Anelosimus eximius, which, along with related species, are often studied for insight into spider sociality. The web of a colony of A. eximius can reach 8 metres (26 ft) into the canopy, and the basket-like retreat at 30 to 150 centimetres (12 to 59 in) above the ground can be up to 3 metres (9.8 ft) in diameter. A colony may house more than 5000 spiders. Other species, particularly those at higher altitudes in northern latitudes, and low altitudes in the tropics appear to be solitary or sub-social.[2][3] The social, subsocial, and solitary behavior of differing species within Anelosimus has been used to examine hypotheses of environmental pressures on social behavior, and inbreeding.[4] Subsociality as a trait seems to be conserved, despite the wide range of environments in which Anelosimus species live; all known solitary species within the genus belong to a single clade.[5] Sociality, however, has independently arisen several times.[4]