New jumping spiders

About New Jumping spiders

• Specimens of Afraflacilla kerala were spotted in Irinjalakuda and Kuttanad while Afraflacilla adavathurensis was discovered from Adavathur in Tiruchirappalli
• Only three species belonging to the Afraflacilla genus had been hitherto discovered in the country.
• Features
  • According to the researchers, these species have interesting diagnostic features consisting of dark brown carapace with fine bands of white setae covering laterally.
  • Their abdomens are light brown and display white bands formed of white hairs that cover it laterally.
  • Jumping spiders of the genus Afraflacilla are widespread from Africa to Australia with various known species found in Middle East, South and Southeast Asia, Central, Eastern and Western Europe, numerous African countries and Australia.
  • Recent findings have revealed the presence of the genus in Rajasthan, Kerala and Tamil Nadu.
  • With the new findings, the number of known Afraflacilla species has grown to 47 with Africa reporting the most at 19.

Q1) What is Afraflacilla?

It is a genus of the spider family Salticidae (jumping spiders).Most species are distributed in Eastern to Northern Africa (including the Middle East) and Australia, with two species (A. epiblemoides and A. tarajalis) found in Europe. 

Source: Two jumping spider species discovered from Kerala, Tamil Nadu