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FEATURE ARTICLE Incredible Susheela Srinivas Spiders Conversations with a Naturalist HAT is your reaction to spiders? Blow them Waway? Scream in terror? Alternatively, perhaps, like Garfi eld, you reach out for a wad of the newspaper? Well…whatever may be Spiders are exciting creatures. Love them or your reaction, it is very likely that you may have just squashed your chances loathe them, they are here to stay. of becoming the next big discoverer! Like them or not, spiders are found His passion for spiders grew just about everywhere in the world: from organically and over the years urged the frigid zones to the sizzling deserts, in him to give up a corporate job, and households to dense forests, for spiders pursue studying environmental science. have been around for millions of years, He is nocturnal – like the objects of exhibiting resilience and adaptability. In his passion – scouring backyards, fact, isn’t it surprising to know that their neighbourhoods and dense forests alike, ancestors are older than the dinosaurs? looking out for these shy creatures. Despite such a wide distribution, “You do not need to travel to exotic arachnology (the study of spiders) is a destinations to make discoveries. There poorly studied science, and very few exists a rich bio-diversity all around us Eriovixia gryffi ndori – the hat like records of their natural history exist if we care to look,” observes Javed. spider camoufl aged among dry foliage today. Especially in India, this young I listen in rapt attention as he (credit Sumukha JN) science is in dire need of cataloguing. unfolds fascinating details about the rare I discovered many fascinating species of spiders he has discovered. many species have learnt to mimic their aspects of these tiny creatures during The stunning images spellbind me; the surroundings to escape predation by my talks with a naturalist and understand adaptability displayed by these spiders insects, birds and bugs. that there lies a huge lack of awareness amazes me and leaves me wondering Three rare species of spiders about spiders. “They have not received about the marvellous craft of Nature. found in the forestlands of Kans in their due importance,” rues the scientist Come, take a journey with me and Shivamogga, Karnataka have however even though they play a critical role in get to know these eight-legged wonders; mastered the art of camoufl age. the delicate balance of the ecology. you will be astonished by how these Paraplectana rajashree is a Arachnologist Javed Ahmed, a tiny creatures have evolved strategies to distinctive and dainty spider, and only young and exuberant naturalist, is survive and thrive in their surroundings. a single female specimen has been responsible for bringing to light many found so far. This tiny critter has a rare species of spiders in India. He Masters of Camoufl age striking resemblance to a beetle and specialises in Araneology – the study easily blends among them. However, Wilderness is harsh, especially for small of small spiders (often just a few the colourful cloak it wears ensures beings like spiders. So it is evident that millimetres in length). its safety from insects while surviving 40 | Science Reporter | January 2018 Thelcticopis kirankhalapi, rare species of spider found in the Kans forest (credit Sumukha JN) L- beetle, R- Paraplectana rajashree mimicking a beetle (credit Sumukha JN) Mistaken Identity on an abundant food source. This orb- Master Hunters weaving spider is the fi rst of its genus Spiders are master hunters, weaving • Spiders are not insects. They to be reported from India. webs to not only trap the prey but also belong to the group Arthropoda Following suit is Cyrtarachne use their silk in many ways to hunt for (scorpions, ticks and mites also sunjoymongai, which mimics a snail and their food. They enjoy a wide variety on belong to this group). prevents predation by birds. their menu: fl ies, bugs, ants and even • Their body is divided into two Eriovixia gryffindori, however, other spiders. Spider cannibalism called segments: Cephalothorax and steals the show with its unique araneophagy is another feature seen in abdomen. appearance, bringing the world to focus some spider species. Many a time, the • They have four pairs of legs on spiders. This spider resembles the hunted is way larger than the hunter. (insects have three pairs) • The legs, eyes and mouthparts sorting-hat from the Harry Potter series! One of the first rare spiders are situated in the cephalothorax. Gryffi ndori is just 7 mm in length, a discovered by Javed Ahmed was Dictis • For spiders, the pedipalp – small nocturnal, orb-weaving spider imitating mumbaienis, in a populated area near pincer-like parts – are also the dry foliage for survival, going about its Aarey Milk Colony, Mumbai. male genitals while in the female, business in the forest tipping a distinctive “The colony is a cocktail of unique the epigyne is located in the lower hat! (Science Reporter reported the fi nd habitat. Earlier belonging to the Sanjay abdomen. in its February 2017 issue). Despite Gandhi National Park, a part of it was • The spinnerets which weave the several visits to the forest, the team so converted to grazing lands by clearing silk are situated in the lower far has discovered only the female of this the forest. Now this colony is made up abdominal region. species, while the male remains elusive. of open grasslands, wooded area and Justifying their deviation from the remnants of the forest,” explains the usual etymological demands, the team scientist. spider. While the genus was the fi rst to that was unanimous in their decision, This rare jumping spider found in be reported from India, its araneophagy said, “The choice of the name was not this environ is named after the city of behaviour too was a fi rst. only because of the resemblance but also Mumbai, and comes in hues of blue and Another rare species found along a bid to create awareness about spiders.” brown and has a unique way of hunting. with it is Peucetia phantasma, which Moreover, their objective is well met When spotted, Dictis mumbaienis lives and hunts solely on the ghost as they receive numerous queries about belonging to the spitting spider group tree (a silver bark tree, botanical name spiders now. was seen devouring another larger Sterculia urens). These discoveries are published in The Indian Journal of Arachnology. A Vegetarian Spider! While spiders are usually carnivorous, Bhageera kiplingi a type of jumping spider is predominantly vegetarian. Native to Latin America, the spider feeds on a type of nutritious nectar stored by ants residing on the acacia trees. Male (left) and female (right) Brettus cingulatus (credit Sumukha JN) January 2018 | Science Reporter | 41 Did You Know? Expedition 33 Commander Sunita Williams displays spider habitats containing Spiders have been to space! A type of jumping spiders for the jumping spider belonging to the Phidippus YouTube Space Lab group was chosen for space travel along winning project by Amr with astronaut Sunita Williams. Mohamed Brettus cingulatus Conducting and recording the required snacking on a small experiments on the ISS, Ms Williams (credit Rakesh Kumar B) spider released some fruit fl ies into a container holding the spiders to observe the effects A Backyard Discovery of the absence of gravity on the spider'ss Brettus cingulatus is a garden discovery. ability to capture its prey. Recalling the circumstances, Javed says: Evaluating the results from the videoo “During one of my night prowls, I found recordings made, in 2016, Dr. David E. Hillll the spider on the underside of a teak-leaf, published a paper in the journal Peckhamiaa. in Rajashree’s (co-researcher) backyard. He concludes that though gravity plays a rolele in the orientation of this spider’s (Phidippusus) Though I was happy to recognise it to NASA) (Credit belong to the Brettus genus it was only preying mechanism, they can adhere to much later that we found that it was a re- surfaces in space by relying on the van derder discovery of the species after 122 years.” Waal’s forces under their feet, which is stilltill (refer SR August 2017 issue) functional in microgravity. The recordings also indicate that the spider goes through a couple of trial and error sequences before mastering the jump. This re-discovery also unearthed Moreover, upon returning to earth, the spider experienced disorientation another startling information: Brettus and had diffi culty in repeating the jumps in the presence of gravity! albolimbatus till then classifi ed as a separate species was in actuality the female of the cingulatus spider. The confusion existed for many years as females of this species are unlike in feature for spiders is by observing Brettus cingulatus exhibits sexual appearance (seen in humans too). B. their genitalia and comparing them dimorphism. In other words, male and cingulatus is a jumping spider which too with existing records,” clarifi es Javed exhibits araneophagy. and the obvious way to scrutinise is by Both these fi nds published in the dissection. “The process of excising journal Peckhamia in May 2017, were in these spiders is laborious and critical. Pest controller. Often we have only a single holotype A female ‘lynx’ collaboration with Dr. David E. Hill, an spider belonging international expert on jumping spiders. (specimen) at hand, and there is no room to Genus for mistakes,” explains this self-taught Peucetia, naturalist, who admits to martyring two Under Their Prying Eyes Family common household spiders during his Oxyopidae A question nags me: “How do they learning period. classify spiders?” (Credit: Susheela Srinivas) “The specimen is just a few “Currently, the identification millimetres in length, and their genitalia is minute.

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