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Madikeri: A team of naturalists has made an exciting discovery in the lush landscapes of Garvale, a village in the Somwarpet taluk of Kodagu district. Led by John TD Caleb from the Department of Anatomy at Saveetha Medical College & Hospital in Chennai, the team includes A Divyashree from Kuvempu University in Shankarghatta, Lohith Kumar from Montrose Golf Resort and Spa, Coorg, and Dr APC Abhijith from Indraprastha Organic Farm in Mysuru.
According to a report in the TOI, Dr. APC Abhijith, co-founder of Team Saaliga, which documents spiders from across the state and conducts awareness programs, revealed that the newly discovered spider has been named Ligdus Garvale. This discovery is significant as it marks only the second recorded instance of the Ligdus genus in 129 years. The first, Ligdus Chelifer, was reported from Myanmar by Thorell in 1895.
Ligdus Garvale was found in Garvale village, which is surrounded by agroforestry, with coffee plantations, pepper, and paddy fields being prominent. The spider, a jumping spider, was first noticed by Divyashree and Lohith Kumar in March last year. They promptly informed Abhijith, who documented the specimen before passing it on to Caleb for anatomical studies.
Dr. Abhijith explained to TOI, "Ligdus Garvale was discovered under the leaf of a torch ginger plant and bears a resemblance to Pseudoscorpions. Due to its nature as a high canopy jumper, it often goes unnoticed and constructs a double-layered web for retreat."
The discovery of Ligdus Garvale adds to the rich biodiversity of Kodagu district and underscores the importance of continued exploration and documentation of its natural habitats.
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