Two New Species of Jumping Spiders

May 4, 2023

Two new species of jumping spiders have been discovered by researchers at the Zoological Survey of India. These spiders are similar to other members of the genus Phintella, which typically inhabit under leaves and barks of shrubs and grasses. Their discovery is a major contribution to arachnology, a branch of science that deals with the study of arachnids, which includes spiders, scorpions, and pseudoscorpions. Prior to the discovery of these latest species of jumping spiders, there were already 12 identified species of Phintella that were acknowledged in India.

Honoring Dr. Dhriti Banerjee and Dr. Norman Platnick

One of the new species of jumping spiders discovered by the Zoological Survey of India has been named Phintella dhritiae in honor of Dr. Dhriti Banerjee, who became the first female director of the ZSI in August 2021. The other species, Phintella platnicki, has been named after Dr. Norman Platnick, who made significant contributions to the study of arachnology before his passing.

Phintella dhritiae was discovered in the Mookambika Wildlife Sanctuary in Karnataka, while Phintella platnicki was found in the Salem district of Tamil Nadu.

Publication of the New Discoveries

In the March 2023 edition of the well-regarded scientific journal Arthropoda Selecta, the identification of these recently found species of jumping spiders was published. The exploration team responsible for uncovering these new species was composed of Souvik Sen and Sudhin P P from ZSI Kolkata, along with John T D Caleb from Chennai. The team had previously identified two other jumping spider species, Stenaelurillus megamalai and Stenaelurillus neyyar, from the Western Ghats area earlier in the year.

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