Hyllus diardi (Walckenaer 1837), a rare species of jumping spider, has been spotted in Western Assam’s Kokrajhar district.
Hyllus diardi is a genus of the spider family occurs in Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, China and Java.
A researcher from Kokrajhar has discovered this rare species for the first time in India. Paris Basumatary, a researcher scholar from Bodoland University has spotted the jumping spider in Jharbari forest range of Chirang Reserve Forest under Manas Biosphere Reserve in Kokrajhar district.
The specimens were collected during nocturnal survey inside the reserve forest, Basumatary said.
“Previously reported in Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, China, and Java, this species of spider is distinguishable by its distinctive large hairy body and unique abdominal patterns and structure of epigyne,” he siad.
Basumatary further said that it can be distinguished from other Indian congeners by the presence of distinctive two chambered sperm theca in female internal genitalia.
The recent finding was published in Acta Arachnologica, a journal devoted to the study of arachnids (spiders). This journal is published by Arachnological Society of Japan.