Scientists from the zoos of India (ZSI) announced the discovery of the new species Wolf Spider and four new species of parasitic wasps of spiders, all from the state of West Bengal in July.
The newly described spider, piratula acuminata, refers to the first record of the genus Piratula in India. This ground wolf spider, discovered on the island of Sagar, is part of the environmentally sensitive Sundarbans delta, belongs to the Lycosidae family, commonly known as spiders. Agile and night, they do not create sites, but an assault of prey with accuracy and speed.
“This is a medium -sized spider, about eight to 10 millimeters,” said Souvik Dream, the main author of the study from Zsi, Kalcata. Details of the study were published in the international review of Zootaxa, called “The first record of the genus Piratula Roewer, 1960 from India, with a description of the new species”.
The species is characterized by a creamy white body, which is scattered with brown and chalk white spots and unique genital structures. “The unique morphological features of this spider immediately indicated that it was a undocumented species,” Dr. Dream and added that a team of scientists has conducted extensive morphological analysis within a few weeks to confirm the findings.
Together with Dr. Dream, Sudhin PP Zsi worked on discovery in cooperation with Pradeep M. Sankan of Sacred Heart College in Kochi. The species of spiders was found in Estuarin’s mud sags, the Sagar island, which is an area shaped by alluvial deposits of the Ganga River and known to its high but largely unused biodiversity.
At the beginning of this month in a separate study, scientists led by K. Rajmohana identified and described four new types of parasitoid wasps belonging to the genus Idris (Hymenoptera: Scelionidae). These tiny wasps-Idris Bianor, Idris Furvus, Idris Hylus and Idris Longiscapus-Byly collected from agroecosystems and semi-class habitats across West Bengal between 2021 and 2023.
Idris Bianor, one of four types of parasitoid wasps discovered recently | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
These wasps, no more than a few millimeters long, are the primary egg parasitoids of the jumping spiders (Salticidae) and show unusual behavior known as Gregarious parasitism, where more eggs emerge from a single egg.
“This work emphasizes how much hidden in our own courts remains,” Dr. Rajmohana, a scientist in a zsi, whose team combined classical morphological taxonomy with DNA bar coding to confirm the presence of a new species. The findings were recently published in the European Journal of Taxonomy in a post called Description of four new species Forsters Idris, 1856 (Hymenoptera: Scelioniadate) India
“This integrative approach is now essential for the precise definition of species, especially in the micro-fauna, where the physical differences are minimal,” KP Dinesh said from Zsi Pune, co-author of the post.
Parasitoid wasps, such as Idris, play a key role in regulating spiders populations and maintaining the balance of the arthropod community.
“These discoveries reaffirm the importance of systematic taxonomy and modern molecular instruments in revealing hidden biodiversity in India. They also strengthen our national mission, which documented for forms of life before they are lost to climate change and degradation,” says teams, Dhriti Banerjee, director.
While Piratula Acuminata samples were removed exclusively from Sagar, Idris Wasps were collected from several districts across Bengal, which was directed both in the ecological specificity and the vast diversity containing these regions.
Published – 28 July 2025 02:30
