Scientists discover two jumping spider species in Western Ghats

Bengaluru: The recent discovery of two species of jumping spiders in the forests of southern Western Ghats could inspire concerted conservation efforts in the biodiversity hotspot and improve the understanding of evolutionary processes in the region’s spider communities.

Arachnologists Athira Jose, John T D Caleb, and A V Sudhikumar have described two new species of ground-dwelling jumping spiders in Kerala – Habrocestum benjamin and Habrocestum swaminathan – from Thusharagiri in Kozhikode and the Silent Valley National Park in Palakkad, respectively. The discoveries add two to the existing 11 species under the genus Habrocestum simon that have been recorded in the Indian peninsula.

Jumping spiders, the largest family of spiders with over 5,000 species, are noted for their exceptional vision and ability to jump that helps them hunt and evade threats.

The discoveries were highlighted in a paper published earlier this month in the taxonomy journal Zootaxa. The researchers, from the Centre for Animal Taxonomy and Ecology (CATE) at Christ College, Irinjalakuda, and the Department of Anatomy, Saveetha Institute of Medical and Technical Sciences, Chennai, pitched the findings as potentially significant to studies on diversity among jumping spiders in leaf litter. Athira, the first author, said the two endemic species were discovered close to water bodies.

“The behavioural patterns of the litter-dwelling species have not been studied in detail. These discoveries come with greater understanding of the species’ habitats - for instance, the level of thickness in the (leaf litter) surface they need to survive on,” Athira, a researcher at CATE, told DH.

Habrocestum benjamin was spotted in damp leaf litter of a tropical rainforest. The paper noted that several females and juveniles were observed staying within retreats made on small, low-lying leaves, by folding the leaf blades.

Habrocestum benjamin.

Habrocestum swaminathan was seen actively moving on the forest floor which had minimal litter depth, near a stream in the closed evergreen forest. Multiple sightings were recorded, indicating the species’ association with the habitat.

The researchers said identification of the two species with highly restricted distributions underscored the urgency of conservation efforts in the Western Ghats where primary forests and their role in protecting biodiversity continue to be undermined.

They noted that a more detailed study combining morphological and molecular data was required for a precise taxonomic categorisation.

The species have been named after Prof Suresh P Benjamin for his contributions to arachnology and late Dr M S Swaminathan, the father of the green revolution.