News Excerpt:

A new ground-dwelling spider species, named Asceua tertia, has been discovered in the lush Shendurney Wildlife Sanctuary, part of the Western Ghats.

About Asceua tertia

• Asceua tertia is the third species of the Asceua genus to be identified in India, joining Asceua cingulata (Simon, 1905) and Asceua thrippalurensis (Sankaran, 2023).
• This genus, part of the ant-eating spider family Zodariidae, is characterized by its small size, laterally compressed bulbs, well-developed cymbial folds, long and intricate copulatory ducts, and dual femoral glands.
• Asceua tertia measures between 2.54 mm in males and 3.2 mm in females.
• The males of the species have a yellow-brown prosoma with creamy white to yellow-brown leg and palp segments marked by broad brown patches and narrow longitudinal stripes.
• Their abdomen features three pairs of narrow, creamy white stripes arranged obliquely, a white dot near the rear, and numerous tiny creamy white spots along the sides.
• The females, on the other hand, have a dark brown prosoma and a wide, oval abdomen adorned with four pairs of creamy white stripes, as well as small anterior and broad posterior creamy white patches on the sides.