Why in the news?

A collaborative research has reported the discovery of two new species of jumping spiders from the Shendurney Wildlife Sanctuary (Kerala) in Western Ghats.

About New Species

• Two new species belong to the genus Epidelaxia. 

• This marks the first time the genus has been recorded from India, which was earlier considered endemic to Sri Lanka.

About Jumping Spiders

• Family: Jumping spiders belongs to the largest family of spiders.
• Habitat: They are very common in the tropics, but some also live in northern and even Arctic regions. 
• Characteristics: 
  • Jumping spiders can jump a distance thirty times the length of their body.
  • Jumping spiders tend to have larger front legs helping them grasp and hold their prey while their back legs are used for jumping. 
• Most spiders have eight or six eyes but poor vision. Jumping spiders with 8 eyes arranged in pairs are an exception which can see more colours than humans. 
  • The day-hunting jumping spider can see in the red spectrum, green spectrum, and in UV light.
• Behaviour: 
  • Jumping spiders are active predators eating insects and other spiders.
  • A jumping spider's silk is also used to build "pup tents" where they will