(A. Tripathy/D. Priyadarshini via SWNS)
By Dean Murray
A "happy face" spider species has been discovered in the Himalayas.
Researchers were looking for ants when they spotted arachnids with markings that looked like a smiling face.
Spiders with smiley-shaped patterns were thought to only be found in the Hawaiian Islands.
But the team from the Forest Research Institute and the Regional Museum of Natural History discovered the new spider species, with the same smile pattern, in Uttarakhand, a mountainous region of India.
(A. Tripathy/D. Priyadarshini via SWNS)
Describing it as "vibrant, tiny, and sporting a bright red grin on its back," they christened it Theridion himalayana, meaning the Himalayan happy-face spider.
The research, published in the open-access journal Evolutionary Systematics, identified 32 different colour variations, or “morphs,” of the species collected from three locations.
However, while the smiling patterns are striking, their exact purpose remains a mystery.
Devi Priyadarshini, a researcher at the Regional Museum of Natural History who co-authored the study, said: "The reason behind the expression of polymorphism is also very complex and unique.
"These patterns definitely help them survive better in the wild, which is understood prima facie, but why do they resort to such patterns on their back, and what functional role in their life cycle does it exactly serve is yet to be deciphered. This is definitely indicative of a deeper genetic mystery."
(0) comments
Welcome to the discussion.
Log In
Keep it Clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, racist or sexually-oriented language.
PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK.
Don't Threaten. Threats of harming another person will not be tolerated.
Be Truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone or anything.
Be Nice. No racism, sexism or any sort of -ism that is degrading to another person.
Be Proactive. Use the 'Report' link on each comment to let us know of abusive posts.
Share with Us. We'd love to hear eyewitness accounts, the history behind an article.