• The findings were published in Zootaxa, a major international journal for animal taxonomy, which is published by Magnolia Press in Auckland, New Zealand.

• What? Discovery of two new jumping spider species
• Species: Asemonea dentis and Colyttus nongwar
• Family: Salticidae (Jumping spiders)
• Where? Meghalaya, Northeast India
• Significance: Highlights ecological richness of Northeast India and underexplored biodiversity

About the New Species:
Family: Both species belong to the Salticidae family, known for stalking and pouncing on prey instead of spinning webs.
Asemonea dentis:

• Genus: Only the third species of the genus Asemonea reported in India.
• Etymology: Named dentis (Latin for “tooth”) due to a tooth-like projection on the male’s palpal femur.
• Male: Males are greenish-brown with a V-shaped pale-yellow abdominal mark.
• Female: Females are creamy-white with black patterns.

Colyttus nongwar:

• Genus: Only the second Indian species of the Oriental genus Colyttus.
• Etymology: Named after Nongwar village in the Khasi Hills where it was discovered.
• Appearance: Both sexes have an oval reddish-brown carapace and a light-brown abdomen with a creamy band and five chevron-shaped patches.

New Spider Records from Meghalaya: The discoveries add to a growing list of recent spider records from Meghalaya, including Irura meghalaya (new species, May 2025) and the first Indian record of Thiania abdominalis, showing that arachnid diversity in the region is far from fully documented.
About Meghalaya:
Chief Minister (CM) – Conrad Kongkal Sangma
Governor – Chandrashekhar H. Vijayashankar
Capital – Shillong
Wildlife Sanctuary (WLS) – Baghmara Pitcher Plant WLS, Nongkhyllem WLS