A collaborative research has reported the discovery of two new species of jumping spiders from the Shendurney Wildlife Sanctuary (Kerala) in Western Ghats.

About New Species

Two new species belong to the genus Epidelaxia.

This marks the first time the genus has been recorded from India, which was earlier considered endemic to Sri Lanka.

About Jumping Spiders

Family: Jumping spiders belongs to the largest family of spiders.
Habitat: They are very common in the tropics, but some also live in northern and even Arctic regions.
Characteristics:
- Jumping spiders can jump a distance thirty times the length of their body.
- Jumping spiders tend to have larger front legs helping them grasp and hold their prey while their back legs are used for jumping.
Most spiders have eight or six eyes but poor vision. Jumping spiders with 8 eyes arranged in pairs are an exception which can see more colours than humans.
- The day-hunting jumping spider can see in the red spectrum, green spectrum, and in UV light.
Behaviour:
- Jumping spiders are active predators eating insects and other spiders.
- A jumping spider's silk is also used to build "pup tents" where they will

About Shendurney Wildlife Sanctuary

Name: The name "Shendurney" owes its name to a tree, locally called "Chenkurinji" an endemic tree.
Location: Located in Kollam District of Kerala and forms part of Agasthyamala Biosphere Reserve.
Vegetation: Tropical evergreen, semi-evergreen, and moist deciduous forests.
Fauna: Elephants, Tigers, Leopards, Gaurs (Indian Bison), Sambar Deer, Bonnet Macaques, Nilgiri Langurs, and Lion-tailed Macaques.
Unique Ecosystem: Myristica Swamps (unique freshwater swamp ecosystems dominated by Myristica species—a genus of primitive, evergreen trees— found in Southern Western Ghats) are found in the sanctuary.
International Recognition: Shendurney has been designated as an Important Bird Area by BirdLife International.