‘Strange’ 8-eyed creature — a speedy hunter — found in India. It’s a new species
Along the leaf-covered ground of southern India scampered an eight-eyed creature. The predatory animal caught the attention of nearby scientists — and turned out to be a new species.
Researchers ventured into the Western Ghats region of Kerala in 2019, according to a study published Dec. 29 in the journal Zootaxa. The region is known as a biodiversity hotspot.
Picking through piles of leaves on the ground, researchers found a unique spider, the study said. They took a closer look at the animal and realized they’d discovered a new species: Hongkongia novia, or the strange ground spider.
The strange ground spider is small, measuring less than a tenth of an inch, the study said. It has a reddish brown body with eight legs and eight eyes “grouped together.”
A photo shows the strange ground spider. Researchers only found one male specimen of the new species, and it appears to be missing a leg.
The spider’s coloring helps it blend “in with the ground to mimic (its) surroundings,” Rishikesh Tripathi, one of the study’s co-authors, told McClatchy News via email.
Tripathi also described the new species’ surprising hunting strategy. “Notably, this species doesn’t construct webs for capturing prey; instead, it employs a hunting strategy by actively chasing its prey,” he wrote.
The new species is the first Hongkongia spider to be found in India and the seventh species in the genus, the study said.
Researchers said they named the new species after the Latin word for strange, “novis,” because of the shape of part of its genitalia.
The strange ground spider has only been found around Ponmudi, the study said. Ponmudi is in the southern state of Kerala and about 1,400 miles south of New Delhi.
The new species was identified by its genitalia and other subtle physical features, the study said. Researchers did not provide a DNA analysis of the new species.
The research team included Pradeep Sankaran and Rishikesh Tripathi.
This story was originally published January 5, 2024 at 4:15 PM with the headline "‘Strange’ 8-eyed creature — a speedy hunter — found in India. It’s a new species."
