RAPD-PCR BASED STUDY OF JUMPING SPIDERS FROM AGRICULTURAL FIELDS OF AMRAVATI DISTRICT, MAHARASHTRA (INDIA) Sharma N.R.; Warghat N.E. and Baig M.M.* Evolutionary Biology Group, Dept. of Zoology, Govt. Vidarbha Institute of Science and Humanities, Amravati- 444604. Email: nanduwarghat@gmail.com *Corresponding Author: Email:mumtazbaig@gmail.com ABSTRACT The current study deals with the genetic diversity of jumping spiders using molecular markers. A total 831 scorable bands were produced using six random primers for the 23 species of jumping spiders belonging to saltisidae family. Out of all screened primers, OPN 16 produced 265 scorable bands and OPP 9 produced 164 polymorphic bands. Remaining primers (OPA 2, OPA 3, OPA 4 and OPA 5) showed 100 per cent polymorphism with 139, 84, 84 and 85 bands respectively. With few exceptions the phylogenetic relationship of jumping spiders using UPGMA and NJ approach was in agreement with the classical systematics. The present study is the first report from India that describes the genetic relatedness amongst spider using RAPD-PCR. Key words: genetic diversity, jumping spiders, RAPD-PCR, molecular markers, INTRODUCTION Spiders are group of invertebrate belonging to class Arachnida and occur almost in every habitat. Arachnids constitute the second largest class (7%) of documented arthropods and it is estimated that (8.3%) of arthropods are arachnids. Order Araneae includes 110 families of 3849 genera and 42473 species, among these family salticidae (jumping spiders) contains 574 genera and 5368 species throughout the world (Platnick, 2011). In India, 1520 species belonging to 377 genera and 60 families has been reported. Recent status of salticidae contains 66 genera and 192 species (Sebastian, 2009). Salticids spiders are active, hunting spider capable of jumping or leaping to a distance. Jumping spiders are diurnal,move by walking, running, jumping or leaping and uses all these movements for prey capture. They hunt prey by stalking, chasing and leaping over it. Salticidae are capable of recognizing colors and distinguishing the prey from considerable distance. Most characteristic feature is the ocular quadrangle on the cephalothoraxes deliminited by eight eyes arranged in three or four rows, anterior median eyes are very large and easily noticeable that’s why it is called as jumping spider. At the starting of nineteen century, Pocock (1900) studied on several species of spiders in his book ‘fauna of British India’. Firstly, after 1960, Tikader (1967, June, 2013, Indian Journal of Arachnology, 2(1).................................................16 © Indian Society of Arachnology ISSN 2278 - 1587