Friday, November 9, 2018

The biodiverse Indraprastha - Spider meet 2018

Got the opportunity to be part of this year's Team Saaliga Spider meet at Indraprastha, Mysore. Team Saaliga has been doing some great work in spreading awareness about spiders.
Wriggled out of Bangalore to reach just past lunch time. Was amazed to see myself surrounded by lots of shrubs (and definitely not by chance, this is a result of decades of intent and proper execution). Entering the gates and gazing around I could notice something almost on every single plant/leaf. That was just a trailer, so to speak, of the biodiversity we would feast our eyes on later at night.

A heady mix of researchers, nature lovers - we were in for some great learnings. And for me, personally, not having to feel as a misfit :D
Quick welcome session and introductions set the tone for the highly interactive talks on Spiders. Anatomy, behavior, hunting and breeding strategies discussed in detail, with some great visuals. With new found knowledge, we were all set to observe better in the field. Some lipsmacking snacks followed the official release of Team Saaliga logo by the Mysore DC.

Spilt into two teams, we set out to explore. We wanted to explore and cover a lot of area, but the rich density of life ensured we were moving at a snail's pace. Almost every plant giving something to observe.

We started with this Crab spider (Thomisidae) blending in perfectly on a flowery branch
Crab spider, blend mode ON!

The Social behavior of the Chikunia spider, multiple spiders with their spiderlings in close proximity
Chikunia spider with freshly hatched  spiderlings

Cellar spiders in plenty, many of them holding onto their eggs bundles
Cellar spider, Pholcidae with eggs

Cellar spider, Pholcidae with eggs

Most corners/gaps between leaves were taken up by Orb weavers
Neoscona with web

Wrapping up freshly caught prey with silk from it's spinnerets
Wrapping prey in silk! A tiny orb weaver making short work

Signature spiders were found in plenty too, owing to the abundance in prey the relative size of almost all spiders we found were LARGE!
Signature spider, Argiope sp

Some pretty flowers around!
Flower for ID

Flowers

Flowers for ID

Dandelion, looking like a bursting firework
Dandelion

A hunstman lying in wait to ambush anything that gets close
Huntsman

A beautiful Dartlet
Golden dart

Palm dart
Palm dart

Mating moths
Mating moths

Freshly moulted cockroach
Freshly moulted cockroach

Weaver ants tending to scale insects
Weaver ants tending to scale insects

Fly resting on flower

A funny looking Derbid planthopper
Derbid planthopper

The wing shape is unique and fascinating!
Derbid planthopper, rear view

Long legged fly
Long legged fly

Cricket nymph
Cricket nymph


Resting honeybee
Resting honey bee

A few more fascinating spiders

Long jawed spider, Tetragnathidae
Long jawed spider, Tetragnathidae

Sac spider
Sac spider, Clubionidae

Wolf spider
Wolf spider, Lycosidae

The devil! Portia sp
The devil! Portia

The Mirror spider, Thwaitesia sp.  Couldn't manage a side-on image showing the "mirror"

Mirror spider, Thwaitesia sp

This beautiful Crab spider
Untitled

Comes in white too!
Crab spider, Thomisidae

The striking Hamadruas
Hamdruas

Hamdruas

Brettus juvenile
Brettus juvenile

Perfect moult of a Huntsman
Huntsman moult

If you're a thirsty bee/fly, there's no way you'd notice that camouflage. In fact Sumukha mentioned the UV emission from the spider attracts the bee/fly closer
Crab spider, blending in!

Tree trunk spider, Herennia female
Tree trunk spider, Herennia sp

Two striped jumping spider, Telamonia female.
Two striped jumping spider, Telamonia female

Some images to showcase how effective and critical spiders are as pest control, maintatining the delicate balance in the ecosystem
Crab spider, with honeybee kill
Crab spider with honey bee kill

Parawixia with grasshopper
Parawixia with grasshopper kill

Rhene feasting on Chironomidae
Rhene with non-biting midge kill


Indraprastha is the brainchild of Mr.Chandrashekar, having taken up Organic farming and put it into perfect practice - the place truly is a rich biodiversity hotspot. Species covered here are a miniscule subset. The team was able to identify 81 species of spiders.

The hospitality and great food from Team Saaliga and the APC family was amazing to experience :) Thank you for opening the gates and our eyes to the wondrous world at Indraprastha!

Cheers!
Hayath