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Pancorius sebastiani

7th November, 2023

Pancorius sebastiani

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Context

  • A new species of jumping spider has been discovered from the Shendurney Wildlife Sanctuary.
  • It has been named Pancorius sebastiani.

Details

About the new species

  • The new species, belongs to the jumping spider genus Pancorius Simon, 1902, and Salticidae family.
  • It has been named Pancorius sebastiani after the late spider taxonomist P.A. Sebastian in recognition of his valuable contributions to Indian arachnology.

Distribution

  • The Pancorius genus of Asian jumping spiders is primarily distributed in southeast Asia.
  • While its distribution was hitherto limited to the east and northeastern regions in India, the new species is the first to be reported from the south.
  • The distribution, the researchers point out, appears to be discontinuous, raising doubts if they are limited to those regions.
  • An analysis of Salticidae species in the country shows that only two States, West Bengal and Tamil Nadu, have reported high numbers
  • Harbouring biodiversity hotspots like the Western Ghats and northeastern India have relatively few numbers of species.

Features

  • The males and the females of Pancorius sebastiani exhibit reddish brown carapace, yellowish abdomen with black patches and chevron-shaped markings posteromedially.

All about Shendurney Wildlife Sanctuary

  • Shendurney Wildlife Sanctuary is a protected area in the Western Ghats.
  • It is located in Kollam district of Kerala and comes under the control of the Agasthyamalai Biosphere Reserve.
  • It was established on 25 August 1984.
  • The name is a corruption of the Chengurinji, a tree endemic to the region (Gluta travancorica).
  • The sanctuary has an artificial lake surrounded by the reservoir of Thenmala Dam.
  • Tropical evergreen and semi-evergreen forest cover a major area of the sanctuary.
  • It has a presence of lion-tailed macaque, a highly endangered species.
  • A brood of the highly elusive nocturnal forest bird, the Great Eared Nightjar was spotted for the first time at Shendurney Wildlife Sanctuary.
  • The first eco-tourism project in India, Thenmala Eco-tourism Project has been formulated in and around Shenduruney Wildlife Sanctuary.
  • Another important aspect of the Shendurnani Sanctuary is that there are no sandalwood trees here.

PRACTICE QUESTIONS

Q. Recently, Pancorius sebastiani was in the news. What is it?

A.   A new species of jumping spider

B.   A newly described anemone species

C.   New species of maned sloth

D.   A new-to-science frog species

Choose the correct code.

  1. A
  2. B
  3. C
  4. D

Answer 

1.A

Q. Consider the following statements with reference to Shendurney Wildlife Sanctuary.

1.It has a presence of lion-tailed macaque, a highly endangered species.

2.There are no sandalwood trees here.

3.The first eco-tourism project in India has been formulated in and around Shenduruney Wildlife Sanctuary.

How many of the above statements are incorrect?

A) Only 1

B) Only 2

C) All 3

D) None

Answer: D) None