By Preetam BC

 Kokrajhar: Hyllus diardi (Walckenaer 1837), a jumping spider, is reported for the first time from India. Parish Basumatary, a researcher scholar from Bodoland University in Kokrajhar recently discovered the jumping spider in Kokrajhar district of Assam. The specimens were collected during nocturnal survey in Jharbari forest range of Chirang Reserve Forest under Manas Biosphere Reserve in Assam’s Kokrajhar district.

The species was earlier reported in Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, China, and Java. This species is distinguishable by its distinctive large hairy body and unique abdominal patterns and structure of epigyne.  It can be distinguished from other Indian congeners by the presence of distinctive two chambered spermatheca in female internal genitalia.

The recent finding was published in Acta Arachnologica, a journal devoted to the study of arachnids (spiders). This journal is published by Arachnological Society of Japan.

Says Basumatary, “the genus Hyllus C. L. Koch 1846 belonging to the family Salticidae has 71 accepted species according to the World Spider Catalog (2017). From India, four species of this genus are known, i.e. Hyllus bos (Sundevall 1833), H. semicupreus (Simon 1885), H. pudicus Thorell 1895 and H. manu Caleb, Christudhas, Laltanpuii & Chitra 2014. After examining the specimens collected from Jharbari forest range of Assam, we found the occurrence of Hyllus diardi (Walckenaer 1837) as the fifth addition to Indian fauna”.