Jumping Spider found to feed on insect eggs
►Spider’s newly discovered behaviour photographed for the first time.
►Social media helped in the discovery of the behaviour.
►The discovery is significant as it can help in biological methods of pest-control.
►Dr. Krishna Mohan, a Dakshina Kannadiga, is one of the experts involved in the study.
At a time of widespread complaints regarding misuse of social media by people, here is a heartening story of how social media served a useful purpose in advancing scientific knowledge about a unique species of spiders. Thanks to a sharp observation made by a Facebook user, one of the largest social media platforms in the country, an endemic South-Asian species of jumping spider, Hyllus semicupreus has been discovered to feed on insect eggs for the first time ever.
This behaviour is a new discovery for the species and has been reported by a team of researchers based in Mumbai, based on the inputs provided by a wildlife photographer from Andhra Pradesh. The discovery is significant as it can help in furthering biological means of pest control.
The discovery is published in the latest issue of 'Peckhamia', a globally renowned, peer-acclaimed international scientific journal dedicated to the study of jumping spiders. The study was collaborated with Dr. David E. Hill, a world authority on jumping spiders, and Dr. Richard J. Pearce, a leading British spider expert. It was led by principal author and lead researcher Javed Ahmed, along with co-researchers Rajashree Khalap and Dr. Krishna Mohan, who is a naturalist and surgeon based in Moodabidri. The discovery was reported by wildlife photographer AN Suresh Kumar, who first recorded this behavior and shared his observations with the team.
THE DISCOVERY
Hyllus semicupreus is a large, colourful bronze-colored jumping spider. It was previously recorded for the first time from Mumbai in 2015 and also been photographed across Maharashtra, especially in Raigad district. The spider can be easily identified from photographs and is known to feed on small insects and such.
Recently, and for the first time, wildlife photographer and amateur naturalist AN Suresh Kumar came across the spider feeding on leaf-footed bug eggs (familyCoreidae) on his farmland in Andhra Pradesh. Not knowing, he had clicked a new behavior and shared the photographs on the "Spiders of the Indian Subcontinent", a specialist Facebook group which is focusing on the documentation, identification and study of Indian spiders.
The photographs were spotted by arachnologist and researcher, Javed Ahmed. Realizing the importance of this chance discovery, Ahmed encouraged the photographer to contribute his findings to science to facilitate a better understanding of spiders, which are severely understudied in India compared to other wildlife species such as butterflies, birds and mammals.
'Oophagy' or preying on eggs is an interesting behavior, which, while reported in a number of jumping spiders, has never before been observed in Hyllus semicupreus, a relatively common jumping spider. This discovery is significant because leaf-footed bugs are severe agricultural pests and spiders such as Hyllus semicupreus can be acted as important pest-control agents.
Acknowledging the potential use of social media, Javed Ahmed observes: “In this digital age of lighting fast internet connections and powerful pocket computers (smart phones), which are carried by almost everyone, there's a lot of potential for social media platforms to act as a bridge between scientists and hobby photographers, to bring to light unique observations on the natural world never seen before. An important thing to remember though is, these observations, if not reported on an academic platform, such as a peer reviewed scientific journal, would be otherwise useless and lost forever.”
Photos: A. N. Suresh Kumar
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Cops use teargas, water cannons against protesting farmers after offering tea-snacks, flower shower
Shambhu (Punjab), Dec 8: Agitating farmers suspended their foot march to Delhi on Sunday after some of them sustained injuries in teargas shelling by Haryana security personnel who thwarted yet another attempt by the protesters to cross the Punjab-Haryana border.
Farmer leaders said they would decide the next course of action on Monday.
After a group of 101 farmers resumed the foot march this afternoon, they were halted by a multilayered barricade set up by Haryana security personnel who surprised the protesters by offering them tea and biscuits and showering them with flower petals.
But the protesters claimed it was all a "drama" as the police soon lobbed teargas shells and used water jets to disperse them when they insisted on crossing the Shambhu border.
As the confrontation escalated, the farmers, many of whom had covered their faces and were wearing protective eyewear, receded a few metres. Some tried to cover the teargas shells with wet jute bags.
On Friday too, the protesters had suspended their march after some of them suffered injuries due to tear gas shells, and farmer leaders had accused Haryana Police of high-handedness.
An official statement on Sunday evening said the administration kept appealing to the protesting farmers to reveal their identities but there were some "aggressive people" in the group who repeatedly tried to bring down the police barricades by using ropes and iron hooks, while no responsible farmer leader was seen.
Ambala police had earlier said the farmer outfits, which are agitating for a legal guarantee for Minimum Support Price and other demands, can march to Delhi only after getting permission from the national capital administration.
The protesters, referred to as 'marjeevras' (individuals willing to die for a cause), were stopped just a few meters into their march, leading to a standoff that continued for over three hours, after which they called off their march for the day due to the police action.
In the evening, Punjab farmer leader Sarwan Singh Pandher told reporters that six farmers were injured and one of them was rushed to the Post-Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER) in Chandigarh.
He said farmers would decide their next course of action in a meeting of their forums -- the Samyuka Kisan Morcha (Non-Political) and the Kisan Mazdoor Morcha -- on Monday.
"We have called back the 'jatha' (group of 101 farmers)," he told reporters here.
"Whatever happened today was seen by the whole country," said Pandher, condemning the use of teargas against farmers.
"The (Haryana) administration used tactics like offering biscuits, 'langar', showering flower petals. Immediately after showering flowers, they (Haryana security personnel) fired teargas shells and rubber bullets at farmers," he claimed.
The protesting farmers have been pressing the Centre to initiate talks with them to address their issues.
As the protesters reached the barricades on Sunday, a few police personnel climbed the roof of a tin shed, where security personnel have been stationed, and threw flower petals on a group of farmers.
Farmer leader Baldev Singh Zira, who led the 'jatha' on Sunday, said it was a "drama" by Haryana Police. "Along with tea, and biscuits, they fired teargas shells," he said, adding, "They have been exposed."
Zira said farmers were moving ahead in a peaceful manner and they were not carrying any weapon as he criticised the Haryana security personnel for using teargas against them.
Pandher said the farmers who sustained injuries included Resham Singh, who was referred to the PGIMER, Dilbagh Singh, Major Singh and Harbhajan Singh.
He claimed that mediapersons were stopped by the Punjab Police from reaching the protest site. He said that Haryana police had asked the Punjab Police to keep the media at least one km away from the protest site.
A Haryana security personnel was seen asking farmers to show permission to march to Delhi and questioned the identity of some of the protesters.
"First we will identify them to see whether they have any permission. We have got the list (of 101 farmers) but they are not those whose names are mentioned in the list. They are not giving their identities which means they are coming in the shape of a mob," he told reporters at the site.
A farmer said, "They are saying that our names were not on the list. We do not know which list they have. When we asked them whether they would allow us to move ahead after verifying our identities, they told us then we would have to show the permission."
Meanwhile, a meeting was held on Sunday evening in which the farmer leaders, Ambala Deputy Commissioner Parth Gupta, Senior Superintendent of Police SS Bhoria and Punjab Police Deputy Inspector General Mandeep Singh Sidhu and Patiala Senior Superintendent of Police Nanak Singh participated.
DIG Sidhu said the talks were held in a positive atmosphere but refused to share any details regarding the meeting.
Ambala DC Parth Gupta said efforts were on to arrive at some solution.
Asked if the Centre is ready to hold talks with the protesting farmers, Gupta said, "Today the meeting was held at their (officers) level. We heard what the farmer leaders said and our effort is that whatever the issue is that should be resolved through talks."
"We will try to take this issue to the level where it can be resolved," he said.
After the meeting, Pandher reiterated that the farmers wanted the Centre to hold talks with them to resolve their issues and said they would take a call during a meeting of farmers on Monday.
Pandher said the Ambala district administration has sought time in the wake of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Panipat on Monday.
Haryana Police again accused the protesting farmers of creating a ruckus and trying to break the police barricading.
"The administration kept repeatedly appealing to the farmers to reveal their identities. Today, again some aggressive people were part of the group of farmers and they repeatedly tried their best to bring down the police barricades by using ropes with sharp iron hooks.
"Today again no responsible farmer leader was seen in this group. The police administration exercised restraint and repeatedly warned the farmers to stay back and not to disturb the law and order," said an official release.
Flowers were also showered on farmers, said police.
Pandher said their protest completed 300 days on Sunday.
Farmers under the banner of the Samyukta Kisan Morcha (non-political) and Kisan Mazdoor Morcha have been camping at Shambhu and Khanauri border points between Punjab and Haryana since February 13 after their march to Delhi was stopped by security forces.
Haryana Police had earlier asked the farmers not to proceed with the march and cited a prohibitory order clamped by the Ambala administration under Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) that bans unlawful assembly of five or more people in the district.
Pandher had on Saturday said farmers hadn't heard from the Centre on the matter.
Shortly before the farmers' march on Friday, the Haryana government suspended mobile internet and bulk SMS service in 11 villages of the Ambala district till December 9.
The farmers had earlier attempted to march towards Delhi on February 13 and February 21 but were stopped by security forces deployed at the border points.
Another farmer leader Jagjit Singh Dallewal continued with his fast unto death, which entered the 13th day on Sunday, at the Khanauri border. Farmers claimed that Dallewal had lost 8 kg weight.
Besides MSP, the farmers are demanding a farm debt waiver, pension for farmers and farm labourers, no hike in electricity tariff, withdrawal of police cases (against farmers), and "justice" for the victims of the 2021 Lakhimpur Kheri violence.
Reinstatement of the Land Acquisition Act, 2013 and compensation to the families of farmers who died during the previous agitation in 2020-21 are also part of their demands.
