Here’s a ray of hope for all those nature enthusiasts who feel that Mumbai’s concretization will slowly kill the various species found in Mumbai.

An independent researcher and wildlife photographer Rajesh Sanap recently photographed a male specimen of the jumping spider at Arrey colony which was first found in 2015. This spider was first discovered in Burma 122 years before and now it brought back the attention of Mumbai’s green zone. This species is now identified as Piranthus decorus and it was last found in Burma in 1895. What good is that the the results are accepted for publication in Acta Arachnologica, a Japanese journal of Arachnology (study of spiders). This result will be published in August issue of the journal in this year.

Talking about this finding Sanap said, “There is immense scope for research related to wildlife and environment at Aarey Colony  and the list has just started being collated. The state government needs to realise that changing the land use of this green lung will severely dent the possibility of safeguarding this biodiversity. If development activities are allowed, it might be destroyed forever.”

Here is a list of species rediscovered at Aarey

1) Jumping Spider: Piranthus decorus (rediscovered after 122 years)

2) Tarantula: Haploclastus validus (rediscovered after 110 years)

3) Trapdoor spider: Idiops bombayensis (rediscovered after 110 years)

4) Tarantula: Pleasiophrictus millardi (discovery of female after 100 years)