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What is the News?
Researchers have discovered two new species of spiders, namely Gravelyia boro and Dexippus kleini from Jharbari range of western Assam’s Chirang Reserve Forest.
About Gravelyia boro:
- The Gravelyia boro is a burrow spider. It belongs to the Nemesiidae family which comprises 184 species worldwide.
- Features: The burrow spider lives underground, about 10-15 cm below the sandy-loam surface.
- The name “Gravelyia boro” has been derived from the Bodo community, one of the largest ethnolinguistic groups in Assam.
About Dexippus kleini:
- Dexippus kleini is an oriental jumping spider. It belongs to the Salticidae, the largest family of all spiders on earth.
- This spider has been recorded for the first time since its original description 129 years ago by Swedish arachnologist in Sumatra, Indonesia.
- Features: The jumping spider is a slow mover, but capable of jumping up to 25 mm in length to hunt its prey.
Other Discoveries:
Stoliczkia vanhnuailianai:
- Stoliczkia vanhnuailianai is a non-venomous snake discovered in a dried-up area of Tuinghaleng river bed in Mizoram.
- The snake belongs to the Stoliczkia genus and is only the third species of Stoliczkia from India.
- Named after: The snake has been named as Stoliczkia vanhnuailianai, in honour of Vanhnuailiana, a famous Mizo warrior.
- Features: The snake is about 50 cm in length and has a dark brown shade above with a few dorsal scale rows bright yellow in colour. Though the head scales are uniformly dark brown, it has bright pinkish sutures.
Significance: The researchers have also named the snake as ‘Lushai hills dragon snake’. In the local Mizo language, it is called rulphusin, meaning ‘snake with small scales’
