An East African jumping spider could pitch in considerable help on Australia's efforts in decimating the numbers of malaria-causing mosquito Anopheles Gambiae, according to a recent study conducted by a combined team of UK and Kenyan scientists.

In a report published by the journal Biology Letters, the Evarcha Culicivora could boost campaigns to eliminate malaria by allowing the spider to inhabit homes and co-exist with mosquitoes as both critters are attracted to human odours.

Both are predators but the spider is in a higher rank as it preys on the malaria-causing mosquitoes, which according to study authors Fiona Cross and Robert Jackson is so far "the only known predator that specifically preys on blood-carrying mosquitoes."

The two scientists said that based on their findings, the Evarcha Culicivora has developed an attraction on smelly feet and with the same characteristics shared with mosquitoes, the likelihood of the two animals being together in a single place is high and the same goes for the spider feeding on the disease-carrying mosquito.

Cross told BBC that "we had a suspicion that human odour was attractive to the spiders before we even ran the experiment," as she added that "we generally find these spiders in the tall grass next to houses or other buildings occupied by people."

Her team's experiment found that the spiders are lured by strong human odour and "when they smell blood, they can launch into feeding frenzies where they kill up to 20 mosquitoes in rapid succession, and not necessarily to eat all of them."

Basing on the behaviour shown by the spiders, Cross said that Evarcha Culicivora could play a role "in the ongoing and complex battle against malaria aside from the fact that it's something that's there in the environment for free."

For now, the scientists are trying to identify possible means that the spiders could be attracted on people's houses while at the same time prevent mosquitoes from entering as well though Cross recommends that people open up their homes for the crawlies.