Six new spider species have been discovered in Kerala (India) by members from the Biodiversity Research Center of Christ College in Irinjalakuda. In early 2014, an investigating team from the same institution had also uncovered three previously unknown species at the proposed airport site at Aranmula. The most recent half a dozen finds were seen at Harithavanam, an area which also goes by the name Kuttivanam.
The aforesaid region is situated near the banks of the river named Aluva Sivarathri Manappuram in Kerala. The researchers from Christ College have listed the six spider species to be under the genus Chrysso, Dendrolycosa, Tetragntha, Trachelas and Argyrodes. The detailed investigation into these arachnids is said to have been conducted on World Environment Day on June 5, and the related paper will be published in Encyclopedia of Life.
The Chrysso genus of comb footed spiders can be found spinning their webs between blades of grass in order to catch all the creepy crawlies. It is very tiny in size with brown legs and a shiny black body. The Argyrodes is quite a scary species which has its origins in the infamous and venomous family of black widow. It is not intimidating to look at considering it’s only as big as a housefly and hunts for small prey on grassy greens, just like the Chrysso.
The spider from the genus Dendrolycosa gets its food only from insects in water bodies. It is mainly brown in color, but has white lines on its body and visible spines on its legs. The species from the Trachelas genus mimics ants and has a pattern of 8 diamonds on the anterior portion of its brown head. Two of the newly spotted spider species belong to the genus Tetragntha and feature 4 black spots on the back of its abdomen and black bands on its leg joints.
Considering that even a small area like Kuttivanam hosts such a diverse number of spider species, the Kerala government needs to take a more serious approach to protect the state’s precious ecosystem, say scientists.