Overview
- The network spans the walls of the Sulfur Cave in the Vromoner Canyon on the Greece–Albania border and is described as the largest known spider web.
- Researchers counted roughly 69,000 house spiders (Tegenaria domestica) and 42,000 sheet weavers (Prinerigone vagans) occupying a mosaic of funnel-like subwebs.
- The cave environment features perpetual darkness, ~26 °C sulfurous water, and hydrogen sulfide in the air, creating conditions hazardous to humans.
- Food webs in the cave rely on chemoautotrophic microbes; isotopic analyses indicate mosquitoes feeding on microbial biofilms constitute the spiders’ primary prey.
- Genetic and microbiome profiles of the cave spiders diverge from outside populations, and scientists call for protective measures for the cross-border site.