Overview
- The peer-reviewed study, led by István Urák and published in Subterranean Biology, documents a contiguous mega-web inside Sulfur Cave near the Albania–Greece frontier.
- Researchers estimate roughly 69,000 Tegenaria domestica and more than 42,000 Prinerigone vagans inhabit the structure, bringing the total to about 110,000–111,000 spiders.
- The colony represents an unprecedented case of two typically solitary species coexisting within a single communal web.
- Measurements report up to 14 ppm hydrogen sulfide and a stable ~26°C environment, with a food web driven by sulfur-oxidizing bacterial biofilms feeding non-biting midges; stable isotope data cited in coverage support this energy flow.
- Genetic and microbiome differences from surface populations indicate isolation and adaptation, and the authors urge protection of the site, noting its cross-border location complicates conservation.