Researchers discover three new species of rare jumping spiders
Researchers from India and Sri Lanka have discovered three new species of jumping spiders in the Western Ghats and Sri Lankan mountain forests. The study highlights the 'sky island' concept, where isolated montane habitats promote unique evolutionary lineages.
Why it matters
These findings contribute to the understanding of biodiversity and evolutionary biology in the fragile ecosystems of the Western Ghats.
Three new species of rare jumping spiders, genus Onomastus, have been discovered by a team of researchers from India and Sri Lanka, with two found in the Brahmagiri Hills, Wayanad, and Silent Valley National Park, Palakkad, and the third in the mountain forests of Sri Lanka.
The new species of rare jumping spiders discovered by researchers. | Photo Credit: Special arrangement
The team comprising Athira Jose, a PhD scholar at Christ College, Irinjalakuda, and Prof. A.V. Sudhikumar, in collaboration with Prof. S.P. Benjamin of the National Institute of Fundamental Studies (NIFS), Sri Lanka, also rediscovered a fourth species of the same spider family in Tamil Nadu, which remained unseen by humans for more than a hundred years.
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