Species of jumping spider spotted for first time in India

The researchers made this discovery while on a routine arachnological excursion in the Western Ghats, in Sindhudurg district’s Kudal Taluka

Researchers from the Salim Ali Centre for Ornithology and Natural History (SACON), Tamil Nadu, Christ College, Kerala, and the Wildlife Institute of India (WII), Dehradun, have recently documented the first-ever sighting of a spider species — identified as Irura mandarina — in India. The researchers made this discovery while on a routine arachnological excursion in the Western Ghats, in Sindhudurg district’s Kudal Taluka.

The Irura mandarina belongs to a larger family of ‘jumping spiders’ called ‘salticidae’. (Gautam Kadam)

“Previously this species was known only from two sites in Vietnam, and one site in southern China,” the researchers note in their paper, published this month in international peer-reviewed arachnology journal Peckhamia. The Irura mandarina belongs to a larger family of ‘jumping spiders’ called ‘salticidae’. As per existing literature, this family of spiders contains 600 different genera and over 6,000 described species, several of which can be found across the country.

But within the genus Irura, this is possibly the second spider to be found in India. A specimen belonging to the same genus was recorded in 2020 in North Lakhimpur, Assam, but the species itself could not be described, explained Rishikesh Tripathi, an arachnologist affiliated with Christ College.

“We were on a routine excursion near some caves in Sindhurdurg district in June this year. It was quite late in the day, and we were using our torches to get around. We saw this bright, golden coloured speck in the dark and assumed it to be some sort of light insect which was glowing at night, but on closer inspection, it was a spider. I was very surprised because I have never seen such a colourful spider,” said Tripathi, whose primary research involves studying desert spiders in Rajasthan.

Researchers later obtained two more specimens (one male and two females) from the site and were able to taxonomically describe it after laboratory analysis. “We approached an American researcher named David Hill with our findings, and he confirmed it for us and suggested we publish this finding,” said Tripathi.

“The Western Ghats and its rich biodiversity reveal themselves to those who have patience and tenacity. More and more new species are coming to light due to such research activities in the Western Ghats. This is another major reason why the Western Ghats need to be nurtured and protected,” the authors said in a statement issued this week, advocating for the continued protection of the area. The site of their discovery is a part of the Sahyadri hills and are recognised as a global biodiversity hotspot.