Isoxya manangona spider male aggregation
Sociality in spiders is quite rare, but a new species found in Madagascar takes it a step further. Isoxya manangona kite spiders build large colonies of webs, all connected by a central silk line where multiple adult males (shown here) gather harmoniously. Researchers suggest the males could be “lekking,” gathering in a group to perform mating displays for females, a behavior never before seen in spiders. (Photo originally published in Agnarsson et al 2023, Insect Systematics and Diversity)