New jumping spiders

25-12-2023

New Jumping Spiders

Why in the news?

Recently, A team of researchers from Kerala and Tamil Nadu have discovered two new species of jumping spiders that belong to the genus Afraflacilla.

About New Jumping spiders:

• Specimens of Afraflacilla Kerala were spotted in Irinjalakuda and Kuttanad while Afraflacilla adavathurensis was discovered from Adavathur in Tiruchirappalli.
• Only three species belonging to the Afraflacilla genus had been hitherto discovered in the country.

Features:

• According to the researchers, these species have interesting diagnostic features consisting of dark brown carapace with fine bands of white setae covering laterally.
• Their abdomens are light brown and display white bands formed of white hairs that cover it laterally.
• Jumping spiders of the genus Afraflacilla are widespread from Africa to Australia with various known species found in Middle East, South and Southeast Asia, Central, Eastern and Western Europe, numerous African countries and Australia.
•  Recent findings have revealed the presence of the genus in Rajasthan, Kerala and Tamil Nadu.

Afraflacilla

• It is a genus of the spider family Salticidae (jumping spiders).
• Most species are distributed in Eastern to Northern Africa (including the Middle East) and Australia, with two species (A. epiblemoides and A. tarajalis) found in Europe.
• This genus was for a time included in the genus Pseudicius, and the boundaries between both genera are disputed. In 2016 Jerzy Prószyński erected the genus Psenuc for some borderline species.
• The name Afraflacilla is combined from Africa, where most earlier described species were found, and Flacilla Simon, 1901, an obsolete salticid genus now called Flacillula Strand, 1932.
• This genus name is in turn derived from Aelia Flaccilla, wife of Roman Emperor Theodosius I. Afraflacilla, Pseudicius, Festucula and Marchena are close relatives and form a monophyletic group.
• Afraflacilla species have tubercles and bristles (on the sides of the carapace near the eyes and on their legs) .
• The line of small tubercles (sharp knobs) under the eyes on the side of the carapace are usually visible to the naked eye.

Recently discovered spider species

Palpimanus Godawan

 Palpimanus Maldhok

Sparambabus sindhudurg'

Trapdoor spider

                                                            Source: The Hindu