SHILLONG: Have you heard of a spider called Steriphopus Wangala? Named after the popular harvest festival of the Garo Community, the Wangala Festival or the 100 Drums Festival, this is a newly discovered species of spiders in Meghalaya.
With its characteristic reddish-brown colour and powerful front legs, this new spider species was recently discovered by Gautam Kadam, a wildlife biologist and a PhD student at Sacred Heart College, Thevara, in Kochi.
Kadam says that the spider species caught his attention the time he first saw it. “I usually don’t focus on ground-dwelling families of spiders such as Palpimanidae, Gnaphosidae, etc., but this one caught my eye,” he told a news website.
This isn’t Kadam’s first notable discovery in the verdant hills of Meghalaya.
In April 2023, he was part of a research expedition that explored the lush green forests of the state, leading to the discovery of three species of jumping spiders.
These discoveries were made in remote areas, including South Garo Hills and South West Khasi Hills, renowned for their extensive forest cover.
The team identified one species near Eman Asakgre village and another beneath the picturesque Imilchang waterfall in South Garo Hills.
Kadam highlighted that Meghalaya remains one of the least explored regions for spider fauna, suggesting significant potential for discovering new genera through continued research.
Earlier findings by Kadam’s team included a jumping spider species named “Habrocestum togansangmai”, named after Garo leader Togan Nengminza Sangma for his contributions to India’s independence struggle.
Additionally, “Habrocestum emanasakgrensis” and “Habrocestum imilchang” were named after specific locations—the Eman Asakgre village and Imilchang waterfall in SGH district, respectively.
The discoveries have been documented in a recent scientific journal focusing on new genera of jumping spiders, marking a significant contribution to biodiversity research in Meghalaya.
