3 new species of spiders found in Calabarzon
Published May 18, 2020 12:00 am
By Ellalyn De Vera-Ruiz
A father-daughter taxonomists have discovered three new endemic species of jumping spiders found in the Calabarzon (Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal, Quezon) region.
UPLB Museum of Natural History
In an article recently published by the Philippine Journal of Systematic Biology, the three spiders described as new to science by Dr. Albert Barrion and Dr. Aimee Lynn Barrion-Dupo are Lepidemathis cavinti n. sp., Lepidemathis dogmai n. sp., and Lepidemathis lipa n. sp.
The Lepidemathis cavinti collected from a primary forest in Cavinti, Laguna and Lepidemathis lipa collected from a young cacao orchard close to bamboos and Gmelina trees in Lipa City, Batangas were both named after the locality where they were discovered.
Meanwhile, the Lepidemathis dogmai n. sp., collected from the boulder in a dry river bank in Mauban, Quezon, was named after microbiologist, Dr. Irineo Dogma Jr.
"In 2014, we participated in the animal biodiversity survey program of the University of the Philippines Museum of Natural History University of the Philippines, Los Baños, Laguna conducted in Cavinti, Laguna province that overlaps with Mauban, Quezon province. We handled the Araneae group and among the collected samples are the Salticidae," the researchers said.
"While running the taxonomic identification of the family, we found some interesting jumping spiders that possess a modified prolateral structure in the tibia of the male pedipalps. Careful examination revealed that it belongs to the genus Lepidemathis Simon, 1903 primarily known only from the Philippines," they added.
Lepidemathis is one of the 41 genera of salticid spiders occurring in the Philippines, which only till now, included four endemic species. These are Lepidemathis – L. sericea; L. haemorrhoidalis; L. unicolor; and L. luisae Frendenschuss and Seiter.
The species of spiders belonging to order Araneae have two unique characteristics that distinguish the group from other families of spiders—the presence of large and conspicuous anterior median eyes providing telescopic vision to effectively hunt for preys and its jumping habit.

UPLB Museum of Natural History
In an article recently published by the Philippine Journal of Systematic Biology, the three spiders described as new to science by Dr. Albert Barrion and Dr. Aimee Lynn Barrion-Dupo are Lepidemathis cavinti n. sp., Lepidemathis dogmai n. sp., and Lepidemathis lipa n. sp.
The Lepidemathis cavinti collected from a primary forest in Cavinti, Laguna and Lepidemathis lipa collected from a young cacao orchard close to bamboos and Gmelina trees in Lipa City, Batangas were both named after the locality where they were discovered.
Meanwhile, the Lepidemathis dogmai n. sp., collected from the boulder in a dry river bank in Mauban, Quezon, was named after microbiologist, Dr. Irineo Dogma Jr.
"In 2014, we participated in the animal biodiversity survey program of the University of the Philippines Museum of Natural History University of the Philippines, Los Baños, Laguna conducted in Cavinti, Laguna province that overlaps with Mauban, Quezon province. We handled the Araneae group and among the collected samples are the Salticidae," the researchers said.
"While running the taxonomic identification of the family, we found some interesting jumping spiders that possess a modified prolateral structure in the tibia of the male pedipalps. Careful examination revealed that it belongs to the genus Lepidemathis Simon, 1903 primarily known only from the Philippines," they added.
Lepidemathis is one of the 41 genera of salticid spiders occurring in the Philippines, which only till now, included four endemic species. These are Lepidemathis – L. sericea; L. haemorrhoidalis; L. unicolor; and L. luisae Frendenschuss and Seiter.
The species of spiders belonging to order Araneae have two unique characteristics that distinguish the group from other families of spiders—the presence of large and conspicuous anterior median eyes providing telescopic vision to effectively hunt for preys and its jumping habit.