New records of spiders (Arachnida: Araneae) from the Sundarban Biosphere Reserve, India

Abstract

The Bay of Bengal is engulfing Sundarban Biosphere Reserve day by day, facing extinction. The area abodes so many economically important flora and fauna and most of them are unexplored. Spiders are one of the such fauna that having biological, medicinal, pesticide values along with economic. They exhibit the ability to both lower and stabilize pest population making them excellent biological pest management candidates. Their silk now a day is used to make a diverse range of items like bullet proof clothing, parachutes, surgical threads, artificial tendons, biodegradable bottles. Venom is now being used as pesticides. Its active protein component is also used as drugs that prevent atrial fibrillation during cardiac failure. They are also used in Homeopathic medicines (viz. Aranea Diadema, Latrodectus Mactans, Latrodectus Hasselti, Tarentula Hispania, Lycosa Tarentula etc.) where tinctures are prepared by putting the living spiders into absolute alcohol.