World Journal of
Pharmaceutical and Life Sciences

FAUNAL DIVERSITY OF SPITTING SPIDERS (SCYTODIDAE: ARANEOMORPHAE: ARANEAE: ARACHNIDA) IN INDIA

Bindra Bihari Singh, *Rajendra Singh and Garima Singh

ABSTRACT

The present article deals with the faunal diversity of spitting spiders (Scytodidae: Araneomorphae: Araneae: Arachnida) in different Indian states and union territories and provides an up-to-date checklist of these spiders based on the literature published up to February 5, 2021. It includes 14 species of spiders described under 2 genera in 20 states and 4 union territories, out of which 5 species are strictly endemic. In India, Scytodes Latreille, 1804 is the largest genus consisting of 12 species. The records demonstrated that only Scytodes thoracica (Latreille, 1802) is widely distributed in 14 Indian states/union territories. Maximum 7 species of these spiders were recorded in Maharashtra followed by 6 species in Gujarat, 5 species in Tamil Nadu, 4 species each in Kerala and Madhya Pradesh, 3 species each in Assam, Hariyana, Karnataka, Meghalaya, Odisha and West Bengal. No spitting spider is recorded in Andhra Pradesh, Arunchal Pradesh, Bihar, Himachal Pradesh, Jharkhand, Nagaland, Sikkim and Telangana and need extensive survey research work for these spiders. Despite their role as insect predators and being crucial to the health of terrestrial ecosystems, none of the species of spitting spiders recorded in India is listed in IUCN Red List.

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