Researchers from the Zoological Survey of India have discovered two new species of lace-sheet-weaver spiders in the forested hills of Nagaland during a scientific expedition conducted in the state’s interior regions.The findings were published in the international journal Zootaxa following a pre-monsoon faunal survey carried out in Peren and Tseminyu districts.According to the researchers, the newly discovered spider species belong to the genus Psechrus and have been named Psechrus ntu and Psechrus phenshunyu, after the villages of Ntu and Phenshunyu where they were found. The spiders are commonly known as lace-sheet-weaver spiders because of the large horizontal sheet-like webs they build in humid forest environments.
Scientists said the species are characterised by elongated and slightly flattened bodies along with long, slender legs. The front pair of legs is especially adapted to help the spiders move rapidly across their webs. The newly identified species were found living in shaded forest patches, rocky crevices and areas beneath rocks and tree roots in the hill regions of Nagaland. Apart from the new discoveries, the researchers also recorded Psechrus himalayanus in Nagaland for the first time. Earlier, the species had only been known from Himalayan regions. The new record extends its known distribution into the Indo-Burma biodiversity hotspot of Northeast India. The study also documented an unusual behavioural observation involving a male Psechrus himalayanus sharing the web of a female Psechrus phenshunyu. Researchers described it as a rare case of heterospecific cohabitation among psechrid spiders.
The research team was led by arachnologists Puthoor Pattammal Sudhin, Shouvik Mali and Souvik Sen. The team also acknowledged the assistance of local spider enthusiasts and villagers from Ntu and Phenshunyu during the field survey.
