Author(s):

Ujjwala Shivaji Deshmukh

Abstract: Spiders belonging to genus Stegodyphus, family Eresidae are commonly known as ‘social spiders’ or ‘family spiders’. Survey was carried out to study the maternal suicidal behavior of Stegodyphus sarasinorum in their natural habitat. All webs analyzed were long-established, large, sheet like and perfect nest construction of Stegodyphus sarasinorum on trees and bushes. These spiders are usually solitary, few days after meting female lays 350-500 eggs in egg sac and guard the egg sac. Hatching takes place after 4-5 weeks the female opens the egg sac and spider-lings come out of egg sac and remain in same web, spiderlings firstly feeds on regurgitated material and finally female provides them with her body as food (matriphagy). The spiderlings climb on the female’s body and consume her, extracting her body fluids and leaving only the exoskeleton

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