Mumbai: After lizard, Sunil Limaye now has a spider named after him

A new species of jumping spider has been discovered at Aarey Milk Colony, one of the few remaining green spaces withing the city. The spider, Jerzego sunillimaye, which is only the second species under the genus Jerzego from India, is named after Sunil Limaye, additional principal chief conservator of forest (wildlife east), Maharashtra forest department.

This is also the first species under the genus whose taxonomic details, mating behaviour, and egg development have been documented.

The findings were recently published in a peer-reviewed journal, Arthropod Selecta, and made public on Saturday. The study was carried out by a team of arachnologists, led by Rajesh Sanap, Dr John Caleb and Anuradha Joglekar.

The study said Limaye had been involved in the conservation of urban biodiversity in Mumbai and the neighbouring areas and hence the spider was named after him.

“We have honoured him because of his pioneer work in getting people involved and interested in environment and wildlife,” said Sanap. Limaye was also honoured in 2018, after the researcher named a nocturnal lizard — Limaye’s Day Gecko — after him.

The species was first found in 2016, after which the researchers studied the eco-sensitive and dry-deciduous habitat of Aarey for almost three years to understand the natural history of this species. The research found that while the length of the male species is 5.52 mm, the female is almost twice the size at 10.3 mm.

“In this research, we explored different habitats such as grasslands and rocky and forested patches to find out the habitat these tiny spiders preferred. These spiders were found in areas covered with thick canopy, largely dominated by trees,” read the research paper. The study also found that the sub-adults of the species appeared like ants.

“The recent discovery of several new species from this region adds to the pressing need for conservation of this particular region, which may harbor many more undiscovered life forms,” said Rajesh Sanap.

The jumping spider family is the most diverse spider family, consisting of 6,126 described species. These tiny arachnids can be easily recognised by their lager anterior median eyes. They are described as diurnal hunters (hunting during the day) and possess brilliant vision and swift reflexes. In India, there are about 256 species of jumping spiders known till date.

In September 2017  other jumping spiders such as Langelurillus onyx and Langelurillus lacteus, were also found in Aarey. In the same year in May, jumping spider species — Piranthus decorus — was rediscovered at Aarey after 122 years.

“It is great to be recognised and an honour to get recognition in the form of genus naming,” said Sunil Limaye. He added, “I am hoping now that bigger animals will also be named after me.”