New Distribution of Two Cobweb (Araneae: Theridiidae Sundevall, 1833) Spiders in Chhattisgarh State, India

Abstract

The present study documents the new distributional records of two cobweb spiders (family Theridiidae Sundevall, 1833) from Chhattisgarh State, India. Although the Theridiidae constitute one of the most diverse and widely distributed spider families globally, their regional diversity within central India remains poorly understood. The study reports the presence of Coleosoma blandum (Pickard-Cambridge, 1882) and Euryopis episinoides (Walckenaer, 1847) for the first time from Chhattisgarh, thereby significantly expanding their known geographical range within the Indian subcontinent. Further systematic surveys are recommended to assess the full extent of Theridiidae diversity in the region. The spider species recorded in the present study have added two new species to the spider fauna list of Chhattisgarh, resulting in an increase of two spider species. This enhances our knowledge of spiders in this state and helps in understanding spider diversity in a high-diversity region like Chhattisgarh. Both recorded spider species have already been recorded in different states of India and are important invertebrate creatures in the biodiversity of those regions, but this is the first time they have been recorded in this particular state. This knowledge is very important from the perspective of Chhattisgarh’s spider fauna, because only a few cobweb spiders have been recorded in this state, and compared to other states in India, there is very little knowledge about them in Chhattisgarh. This study helps to fill this knowledge gap. Spider fauna is very important for biodiversity. If the spider species of a particular region are unknown, then their ecological, economic, and applied importance in that region cannot be understood. Therefore, this study is very important.