02.05.2024
Peucetia chhaparajnirvin
For Prelims: About Peucetia chhaparajnirvin, What are Lynx Spiders? Key Facts about Tal Chhapar Sanctuary
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Why in the news?
Daryapur-based arachnologist recently identified a green lynx spider, named Peucetia chhaparajnirvin, which was never discovered earlier.
About Peucetia chhaparajnirvin:
- It is a new species of green lynx spider. The spider was found in Tal Chhapar Wildlife Sanctuary in Churu district of Rajasthan.
- The spider species has been named Peucetia chhaparajnirvin after the area in Rajasthan, Tal Chhapar, where it was discovered.
- This spider is found on the green leaves of the Vachellia nilotica (babul) tree.
- Their green hue aids in blending with their surroundings and ambushing prey, while their long legs allow them to move quickly.
- This spider is nocturnal and feeds on small insects.
What are Lynx Spiders?
- Lynx spiders (family Oxyopidae) are any of several groups of active spiders(order Araneida) that do not build a nest or web but capture their prey by pouncing upon them.
- They are among the major predators of insects occurring in low shrubs and herbaceous vegetation.
- The eyes are arranged in a hexagon, and the abdomen usually tapers to a point.
- Many Lynx spider species have colorfully striped abdomens and spiky legs.
Key Facts about Tal Chhapar Sanctuary:
- It is situated on the border of the Great Indian Thar Desert.
- Tal Chhapar is a distinctive shelter of the most graceful Antelope seen in India, “the Blackbuck”.
- It was given the status of a sanctuary in 1966.
○Tal Chhapar was a hunting reserve of the erstwhile royal family of Bikaner.
- The “Tal” word is a Rajasthani word meaning plane land.
- This Sanctuary has nearly flat territory and a combined thin low-lying region. It has open and wide grasslands with spread Acacia and Prosopis plants that offer it a look of a characteristic Savanna.
Fauna:
- Tal Chhapar is an ideal place to see Blackbucks which are more than a thousand in number here. It is a good place to see the desert animals and reptile species.
- The sanctuary is host to about 4,000 blackbucks, over 40 species of raptors and more than 300 species of resident and migratory birds.
- Migratory birds in the sanctuary are harriers, eastern imperial eagle, tawny eagle, short-toed eagle, sparrow, and little green bee-eaters, black ibis and demoiselle cranes. Other than that, skylarks, crested larks, ring doves, and brown doves can be seen throughout the year.
Source: The Times Of India