The species—Scalidognathus nigriaraneus and Scalidognathus tigerinus—have been discovered from the Nilgiri and Coimbatore districts. The find by Rajesh Sanap and Zeeshan Mirza has been published in the latest edition of international journal, Acta Zoologica Lituanica.
"Until now, there was only one known species of the genus Scalidognathus found in India. This discovery has added two more in this group," said Sanap, who had also discovered a new species of scorpion in Jalna recently. He added that since trapdoor spiders were poorly documented, they had decided to carry out the survey in the Western Ghats of Tamil Nadu in January.
Trapdoor spiders are known for their burrows that are made from soil, vegetation and silk. The burrows—that have a door like opening—go deep in and the network of web around it sends a signal to the spider every time a potential prey approaches the door. Read the full report here.
Source: Simit Bhagat, TNN, Mumbai.
