Zoological Survey of India discovers two new species of spiders

The Zoological Survey of India (ZSI), Kolkata, has discovered two new species of spiders from the southern Western Ghats, a biodiversity hotspot.

The newly-discovered species are Mimetus spinatus and Mimetus parvulus. The findings are significant as it marks the report of the genus Mimetus after 118 years of the discovery of last Mimetus species (i.e. Mimetus indicus) from India.

The addition of two new species brings the number of Mimetus species in India to three, all of which were spotted from the southern part of the country.

Director, ZSI Dhriti Banerjee said, “The Western Ghats play a crucial role in the climatic conditions of the country and continue to surprise scientists with their high levels of endemism”.

These new discoveries highlight the need for continued exploration and conservation efforts in this region, emphasising the importance of the Western Ghats, a UNESCO World Heritage site, in preserving India’s rich biodiversity.

The unearthing was made by a research team led by Souvik Sen of ZSI, Kolkata, along with Sudhin P P, of the same institute and Pradeep M. Sankaran of Sacred Heart College, Cochin, Kerala.

Mimetus spinatus and Mimetus parvulus were collected from the Mookambika Wildlife Sanctuary, Karnataka and Ernakulam district of Kerala respectively.

The discovery of these new spider species has been published in the recent issue of ‘Zootaxa’. Both species belong to the spider family Mimetidae, commonly known as pirate or cannibal spiders due to their unique predatory behaviour.

These spiders infiltrate the webs of other spiders, mimicking the vibrations of prey or mates to deceive and kill the host spider. Mimetus spinatus is characterised by its medium size, pale yellow head and dull grey-white abdomen, with scattered light green mottling.

It possesses long, black, flattened spine-like hairs on the dorsal head, which inspired its name. In contrast, Mimetus parvulus is distinguished by its pale creamy-rose head with dense grey-black mottling and a triangular-shaped, dull grey-white abdomen.