Assam has added another feather to its biodiversity cap with the first Indian record of the jumping spider Colyttus bilineatus, discovered in the Barak Valley. 

The discovery was made by researchers from Assam University, in collaboration with a noted arachnologist from Chennai. 

Key details of the discovery

• The spider was documented from Loharbond in Cachar district, inside an Inner Line Reserved Forest of the Barak Valley.
• Until now, Colyttus bilineatus was known only from Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore.
• Its presence in Assam marks a significant extension of its known geographical range into the Indian subcontinent.

Significance of  Barak Valley 

• The Barak Valley forms part of the Indo-Burma biodiversity hotspot, one of the world’s richest but most threatened ecological regions.
• Its mixed evergreen and deciduous forests, dense canopy, and extensive bamboo growth provide ideal microhabitats for small and elusive species like jumping spiders.
• Compared to regions such as the Western Ghats, systematic biodiversity surveys in Northeast India remain limited, making such discoveries especially significant.

Exam Hook

Consider the following statements:

1. The Indo-Burma region is recognised as a global biodiversity hotspot.
2. Jumping spiders play a role in regulating insect populations in forest ecosystems.
3. All spider species found in India are already fully documented.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
Answer: 1 and 2 only

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