Jumping Spiders
Why in News?
Jumping spiders are recently in the news due to the groundbreaking discovery of three new, rare species—Onomastus brahmagiri, Onomastus silentvalley, and Onomastus wijesinghei—by a joint research team from India and Sri Lanka.
About three species
- Onomastus brahmagiri: It was discovered in the Brahmagiri Hills of the Western Ghats in India.
- Onomastus silentvalley: It was discovered in the shola forests of Silent Valley National Park, Kerala.
- Onomastus wijesinghei: It was discovered in the montane forests of Sri Lanka.
Biological Overview & Taxonomy
- Scientific Family: They belong to the Salticidae family, which represents roughly 10% to 13% of all known spider species globally.
- Massive Diversity: There are nearly 7,000 distinct species of jumping spiders scattered across every continent except Antarctica.
- Microscopic Size: They range anywhere from a tiny 2 mm up to a maximum of 25 mm in body length.
- Eight-Eyed Vision: They possess four pairs of eyes (eight eyes total), with two massive forward-facing primary eyes that grant them exceptional, high-resolution 3D vision.
- No Leg Muscles: They do not rely on standard leg muscles to jump. Instead, they use a hydrostatic pressure system to pneumatically extend their limbs, making their movement incredibly energy-efficient.
- Hydrophobic Qualities: Some species sport water-repelling hairs that lock in bubbles of oxygen, allowing them to temporarily survive entirely submerged underwater.
Hunting & Silk Usage
- No Prey Webs: Unlike traditional spiders, jumping spiders do not spin webs to snare their food.
- Stalk-and-Pounce Strategy: They act as active diurnal predators, tracking down insects by sight during daylight hours and leaping forward like a cheetah to ambush them.
- The Safety Dragline: Before taking a leap, they anchor a single structural strand of silk to the ground, serving as a bungee safety line in case their jump misses the target.
- Silken Tents: They generate silk primarily to weave protective overnight shelters, cocoons for moulting, and safe storage sacs for their eggs.
