DIMAPUR, MAY 15 (NPN): Researchers from the Zoological Survey of India (ZSI) have discovered two new species of lace-sheet-weaver spiders from the forested hills of Nagaland and recorded a significant range extension for another species.
The findings, published in the international journal Zootaxa, were made during a pre-monsoon faunal expedition in Peren and Tseminyu districts. The two new species belong to the genus Psechrus — Psechrus ntu and Psechrus phenshunyu — named after the hill villages of Ntu and Phenshunyu where they were found.
The spiders are known for building large horizontal sheet-like webs in humid forest habitats.
They are characterized by elongated, slightly flattened bodies and long slender legs, particularly the anterior pair adapted for moving quickly across their webs.
They inhabit shaded forest patches, rocky crevices and areas beneath rocks and tree roots.
In addition, the study recorded Psechrus himalayanus in Nagaland for the first time, extending its known distribution from the Himalayas into Northeast India’s Indo-Burma biodiversity hotspot.
An interesting behavioural observation noted during the study was a male P. himalayanus sharing the web of a female P. phenshunyu, a rare instance of heterospecific cohabitation among psechrid spiders.
The study was led by arachnologists Dr. Puthoor Pattammal Sudhin, Shouvik Mali and Dr. Souvik Sen.
The team acknowledged the support of local spider enthusiasts and the warm cooperation of villagers from Ntu and Phenshunyu.
With these discoveries, India now has nine known species of Psechrus, most with limited and fragmented distributions. Researchers believe many more species may await discovery in the region’s remote forests.
