ZSI researchers discover 7 new species of jumping spiders
Kolkata: Researchers from Zoological Survey of India (ZSI), Kolkata, have discovered and described seven species of jumping spiders which are new to science.
The species were discovered from the northern part of India with two each from Rajasthan, Uttarakhand, Assam and one from the century old National Zoological Collections (NZC) from West Bengal. Two genera, Colyttus and Mogrus have been recorded for the first time in India.
"The jumping spider family (Salticidae) is the most diverse spider family, with their world fauna consisting of 6,088 described species. In India, there are about 250 species of jumping spiders known till date. They are diverse, tiny creatures, easily recognised by their large anterior median eyes. These diurnal predators are well known for their excellent vision, swift reflexes and their ability to jump long distances," said Dr Vikas Kumar, Officer-in-Charge of the Centre for DNA Taxonomy who along with other members of the Centre, John Caleb, Sumantika Chatterjee, Kaomud Tyagi and Shantanu Kundu carried out the studies.
Two species, Epocilla Sirohi and Mogrus Rajasthanensis were discovered from Rajasthan. The species E. Sirohi is distinctive and can be easily recognised by the uniquely long embolus in its copulatory organ. The genus Epocilla presently contains 12 species, of which 11 are known from Asia. The genus Mogrus comprises of 29 species from Asia, and a few species from Africa and Europe. Two more species were described from Assam, Colyttus Proszynskii and Synagelides Brahmaputra.
The genus Colyttus is recorded for the first time in India. Most of the members of the genus are inhabitants of rain forests in south-east Asia and similarly, the new species was also found to be dwelling in the rain forest inside Dehing Patkai Wildlife Sanctuary.
Synagelides Brahmaputra is named after the river Brahmaputra. The species was collected near Bherjan-Borajan-Padumoni Wildlife Sanctuary.
Two new species, Nandicius Vallisflorum and Pellenes Himalaya were described from the Western Himalayas, Uttarakhand. They were found from the alpine meadows of the Valley of Flowers. The species Nandicius Vallisflorum was named after the Valley of Flowers and Pellenes Himalaya after the majestic Himalayas. The study is part of the project — "Biodiversity Assessment through Long-term Monitoring Plots in the Indian Himalayan Landscape" funded by the Ministry of Environment Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC) through National Mission on Himalayan Studies (NMHS). The project is led by the Director and Principal Investigator, Dr Kailash Chandra. All these findings have found its place in leading reputed science journals.
One species, Brettus Gravelyi is described from West Bengal. The study was carried out by John Caleb, Shelley Acharya and Vikas Kumar. The specimen was collected in the year 1916 from Peshok, Darjeeling district by Dr Fredrick Henry Gravely, a well-known British arachnologist. The species is known only from the male sex, while the females remain unknown. Additional surveys from the same location are required to understand the species in detail with regard to its biology, life history and habitat preferences.
