Why in the news?
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
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