Dr John T. D. Caleb works on the taxonomy and systematics of spiders, with a special focus on jumping spiders (Salticidae). His research attempts to bridge classical taxonomy with modern molecular tools to uncover the hidden diversity of India and South Asia’s arachnid fauna. By resolving long-standing taxonomic ambiguities and revitalizing overlooked museum specimens, he has described several new genera and numerous species. His work spans ecosystems ranging from lush tropical forests to arid deserts and alpine landscapes, bringing to light the remarkable diversity of spiders across the Indian subcontinent. ResearchGate

Dr Manju Siliwal is currently associated with the Wildlife Institute of India, specializing in spider taxonomy, biodiversity assessment, and conservation. She has described new species including tube-dwelling spiders (genus Indoseges) and a trapdoor spider from India and authored seminal works like the updated Indian spider checklist. She also helped bring India’s tarantulas onto the IUCN Red List. Her systematic field surveys and taxonomic works have significantly shaped Indian arachnology. ResearchGate

Dr Puthoor P. Sudhin is a postdoctoral researcher in the Arachnida section of the Zoological Survey of India, Kolkata. His research focuses on the taxonomy, diversity, and biogeography of spiders, with a special emphasis on the jumping spiders (Salticidae) of India. He has contributed to documenting the spider fauna of the Western Ghats and Northeast India, describing several new species and expanding knowledge of poorly explored habitats. Through his taxonomic studies and field surveys, Dr. Sudhin plays an active role in advancing Indian arachnology and uncovering the region’s hidden spider diversity ResearchGate

Rajesh V. Sanap is an arachnologist with over 15 years of experience exploring the world of spiders. His research focuses on uncovering the rich diversity of India’s arachnids, especially mygalomorphs like tarantulas and trapdoor spiders. Passionate about discovering and documenting these often-overlooked creatures, he has described several new species, adding valuable insights to both Indian and global spider records. Today, he continues his work as a scientist with the Thackeray Wildlife Foundation, where he combines his love for fieldwork and taxonomy to bring India’s hidden spider diversity to light. ResearchGate

Zeeshan A. Mirza‘s research focuses on the taxonomy and systematics of mygalomorph spiders, particularly Indian tarantulas. He has described several new genera and species, including Gravelyia and Cilantica, and has conducted extensive surveys across the Western Ghats, and Eastern Himalayas. Currently at the Max Planck Institute for Biology, Germany, Mirza is recognized as an important contributor to South Asian arachnology, combining morphology, molecular phylogenetics, and conservation. ResearchGate

Rishikesh Tripathi is a PhD scholar in Zoology, focusing on spiders of Desert National Park, Rajasthan. His research covers taxonomy, ecology, and biogeography, with over 25 new spider species described and 40 articles published in journals like the European Journal of Taxonomy. Rishikesh has evaluated over 20 manuscripts as a peer reviewer and received several grants, including SERB International Travel Support and the American Arachnological Society Travel Grant. He is currently a Project Consultant at ATREE under Dr. Abi Tamim Vanak for a grassland restoration project. ResearchGate

Dr Dhruv A. Prajapati is presently the Director at Web of Nature (WON) Research Foundation, with prior roles at GEER Foundation and Sacred Heart College, Cochin He has discovered and described multiple new spider species and documented rich spider diversity. Prajapati’s field surveys, taxonomy, and conservation advocacy has enhanced Indian arachnology. ResearchGate

Dr Sudhikumar A. V. is an arachnologist and founder of the Centre for Animal Taxonomy and Ecology (CATE) at Christ College, Kerala. He has authored over 200 research articles, led surveys uncovering several new spider species from Kerala, and described new species. The jumping spider Pseudomogrus sudhii was named in his honor. Dr. Sudhikumar’s work spanning taxonomy, field surveys, and outreach has established him as a prominent figure in contemporary Indian arachnology. ResearchGate

Dr Mathew Joseph specializes in spider taxonomy, systematics, and biodiversity of Kerala. He revised and described the orb-weaver genus Plebs. During his tenure at the Sacred Heart College, Cochin he coauthored several papers on the diversity of spiders from the Western Ghats ecosystems. ResearchGate

Dr Souvik Sen is presently working as a Scientist in the Arachnida Section at the Zoological Survey of India, Kolkata, and focuses on the taxonomy, diversity, and distribution of spiders. He studied the spiders of Northern Bengal as part of his Ph.D. thesis. He has discovered a new genus and reported several genera and species as new to India, and described notable finds like a wolf spider from the Sundarbans. ResearchGate