Context: Researchers have identified a new species of jumping spiders of the Spartaeinae subfamily in southern India, known for their intelligent hunting skills and web-invasion tactics.
Relevance of the Topic: Prelims: Key facts about Spiders.
New jumping spider species
- For the first time, the genera Spartaeus and Sonoita (specific groups within subfamily), previously known only from Southeast Asia and Africa, have been found in India.
- These spiders are known for their keen eyesight and intelligent hunting methods, often deceiving other spiders by mimicking prey.
Key Facts about Spiders:
- Spiders are not insects, but belong to a group called the arachnids. Spiders differ from insects as they have eight legs not six and six or eight eyes (two in insects).
- Spiders are known for making silk webs to catch insects. They spin silk from a liquid made by special glands. They are found everywhere in the world, except for Antarctica.
- Most spider species are carnivorous that capture and eat other insects. However, one species in Central America has been found to be mostly herbivorous.
- Spiders digest their food outside their bodies. After capturing its prey, a spider covers it with digestive juices. The juices break down prey’s body into liquid form that the spider sucks up.
- Spiders are important pest controllers for a habitat, and they are food for other species too.
- Spider webs are the extensions of the spider’s sensory system. Vibratory information from the web is crucial for spiders because they do not have ears.
- Spider silk is an amazing natural material with unique properties. It has inspired researchers to develop materials derived from spider silk with applications in tissue engineering and regenerative medicine.
- Spiders shed their outer covering, multiple times before becoming adults.