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Maharashtra: Researchers identify new spider species ‘Tigidia singhal’ in Ahilyanagar district
Updated On: 18 July, 2026 10:38 AM IST | Mumbai | Ranjeet Jadhav
Discovery near Rehekuri sanctuary expands known range of rare genus and highlights need to protect Deccan Plateau grasslands

Trapdoor spiders spend most of their lives in their burrows, waiting to ambush passing prey; (right) Tigidia singhal found near the Rehekuri Blackbuck Sanctuary in Karjat. Pics/Dr Rishikesh Tripathi, the Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the Environment
Researchers have discovered a new trapdoor spider species, Tigidia singhal, in the rocky semi-arid grasslands near the Rehekuri Blackbuck Sanctuary in Karjat tehsil of Ahilyanagar district. The discovery has been published in the latest issue of Arachnology, the journal of the British Arachnological Society.
The spider belongs to the Barychelidae family, known for building silk-lined underground burrows hidden beneath camouflaged trapdoors. It ambushes insects, and occasionally small reptiles or mammals, by suddenly opening thew trapdoor.




