Two new species of jumping spiders discovered

 

SARATH BABU GEORGE, 

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM, March 3, 2025

A collaborative research involving the University of Kerala has reported the discovery of two new species of jumping spiders belonging to the genus Epidelaxia from the Shendurney Wildlife Sanctuary. This marks the first time the genus has been recorded from India, extending its known range from Sri Lanka to other parts of the subcontinent.

The research team behind the find includes Asima A. and G. Prasad from the Department of Zoology of the University of Kerala; John T.D. Caleb from Saveetha Medical College & Hospitals, Chennai; and Mathew M.J. from the Centre for Arachnology Research at Bharata Mata College, Kochi.

Their work, published in the February 2025 issue of Zootaxa, a peer-reviewed journal, has not only added two new species to the region’s checklist, but has also shed light on the rich biodiversity of the Western Ghats. The two new species, Epidelaxia falciformis sp. nov. and Epidelaxia palustris sp. nov., were discovered during field expeditions to Kulathupuzha in Kollam in December 2022 and April 2023.

Striking features

These are distinctively characterised by their striking physical features, which include a prominent yellow triangular-shaped mark on the prosoma (the front part of the body) of females and unique traits of the copulatory organs in both males and females. Males of E. falciformis have a brown carapace with a yellow-brown stripe, while males of E. palustris feature a pale brown band along the side of their bodies. The females exhibit similar colouration, with the added feature of white orbital setae around their eyes.

The researchers add that the species vary slightly in size, with E. falciformis measuring 4.39 mm. E. palustris measures 4.57 mm in males and 3.69 mm in females. These spiders have been described as highly adapted to their environment, inhabiting the dense foliage of the Western Ghats. The genus was previously considered endemic to Sri Lanka.

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Kerala forests home to new spider species

Aathira Perinchery, Kochi
The Hindu, Arpil 6 2019

A group of jumping spiders that mostly occur in Eurasia and Africa, has been spotted for the first time in Ernakulam’s Illithodu forests by arachnologists from Kochi’s Sacred Heart College, Thevara. The team also found that the spider belonging to the genus (a taxonomic classification above species) Habrocestum is a species new to science.
The team came across the different-looking spiders — six of them, predominantly brownish-black in colour with white and creamy-yellow patches — while conducting a routine survey (funded by the Department of Science and Technology-Science and Engineering Research Board) for ground-dwelling spiders in the Illithodu reserve forests of the Malayatoor forest division, barely 60 km from here. Back in their laboratory, they examined the physical features of males and females. They also compared these to similar-looking spider specimens collected earlier from the Thattekkad Bird Sanctuary.
A detailed examination of the spiders’ physical features revealed that they belong to the genus Habrocestum that has been recorded mostly in Eurasia and Africa and never in India, till now. Comparisons with studies of European Habrocestum spiders revealed that the spiders from Illithode are a new species altogether, for they had distinctly different reproductive organs.
The spider also has a single long spine on the underside of both its first legs, and this gave it its scientific name Habrocestum longispinum (after Latin ‘longe’ meaning long and ‘spinae’ for spine). “It measures just around 2 mm and seems to prefer dry habitats, dwelling in forest litter,” said Mathew M. Joseph, assistant professor at Sacred Heart College and a co-author of the study published in the Journal of Natural History last month.
While more detailed ecological studies are required, threats could include unregulated tourism activities and even climate change (which could affect the small insects by altering the specific micro-climates that they prefer), he said.
The study extends the range of these spiders to India. The discovery also lends support to the continental drift theory that suggests that the world’s continents were one large, contiguous landmass where these creatures thrived many millions of years ago, added Dr. Joseph.

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