New spider species named after 26/11 martyr who caught Kasab

Mumbai, June 28 In a poignant gesture, a group of naturalists have named a new spider species discovered in Kalyan, Thane, in memory of the 26/11 Martyr, Tukaram G. Omble the man who helped nab Pakistani terrorist Ajmal Kasab alive during the 26/11 terror strikes in Mumbai.

The new 'jumping spider' male sex-species, found last year in an urban locality of Kalyan town, has been christened as "Icius Tukarami", said Ahmedabad-based photographer and wildlife enthusiast Dhruv Prajapati.

Simultaneously, another group comprising Rajesh Sanap, Somnath Kumbhar and John Caleb discovered another unknown spider species distributed in Aarey Colony, Mumbai and also 50 kms away in Kalyan, and named it as "Phintella Cholkei", in 2017 and 2019, respectively.

"This is in memory of Kumbhar's friend, Kamlesh Cholke who used to collect and provide us with different species of spiders. It has unique body pattern and genital organs not seen in other spiders," Sanap told .

The latest finds have been described and published in a research paper published in an internationally-reputed journal, "Arthropoda Selecta", jointly by Prajapati and Ravi Dutt Kamboj