Arachnids are arthropods in the class Arachnida of the subphylum Chelicerata. Arachnida includes, among others, spiders, scorpions, ticks, mites, pseudoscorpions, harvestmen, camel spiders, whip spiders and vinegaroons.
Ricinulei is a small order of arachnids. Like most arachnids, they are predatory, eating small arthropods. They occur today in west-central Africa (Ricinoides) and the Americas from South America to as far north as Texas, where they either inhabit leaf litter or caves. As of 2022, 103 extant species of ricinuleids have been described worldwide, all in the single family Ricinoididae. In older works they are sometimes referred to as Podogona. Due to their obscurity they do not have a proper common name, though in academic literature they are occasionally referred to as hooded tickspiders.
Octavius Pickard-Cambridge FRS was an English clergyman and zoologist. He was a keen arachnologist who described and named more than 900 species of spider from a large collection that he made with contributions sent to him by correspondents from around the world.
Ornithoctoninae is a subfamily of tarantulas found in Southeast Asia. It was first erected in 1895 by Reginald Innes Pocock based on the type specimen Ornithoctonus andersoni.
Pierre Bonnet was a French arachnologist who wrote Bibliographia Araneorum, an immense work listing publications on spiders. It was the result of forty years of work.
Ludovico di Caporiacco was an Italian arachnologist.
The International Society of Arachnology (ISA) promotes the study of arachnids and the exchange of information among researchers in this field. It acts as an umbrella organisation for regional societies and individuals interested in spiders, and related animals, and organises an International Congress every three years.
The American Arachnological Society (AAS) is a scientific organization founded in 1972 in order to promote the study of arachnids by seeking to achieve closer cooperation and understanding between amateur and professional arachnologists along with publication of the Journal of Arachnology. The society holds annual meetings around the United States and membership is open to all individuals who share the common objectives held by the society.
The British Arachnological Society (BAS) is the UK’s first body devoted exclusively to the study of arachnids. The primary objectives of the Society are to encourage interest in arachnology in people of all ages and to generate, promote and disseminate arachnological knowledge and understanding by all suitable means. In particular, it works to foster co-operation between amateur and professional arachnologists.
The Iranian Arachnological Society (IAS) was founded in 2010 as an academic society for amateur and professional arachnologists and individuals interested in Arachnids in order to promote the arachnological studies in Iran and facilitate the collaborations between Iranian and international arachnologists, researchers and institutions around the world.
Pekka T. Lehtinen is a Finnish arachnologist and taxonomist. He is known for his works in systematics and for the many expeditions in which he has participated.
Arthur Stanley Hirst also known as Stanley Hirst, was an English arachnologist and myriapodologist on the staff of the British Museum, and was an authority on Arachnida, especially Acari Myriapoda.
Glavis Bernard Edwards Jr. is an American taxonomic entomologist specializing primarily in spiders, with broader interests in butterflies, centipedes, millipedes, and thrips. He was the Curator of Arachnida and Myriapoda for the Florida State Collection of Arthropods (FSCA), Division of Plant Industry, Florida Department of Agriculture & Consumer Services. His curatorial responsibilities included Arachnida : spiders, scorpions, harvestmen, and relatives; Crustacea : pillbugs, sowbugs; Myriapoda including centipedes, millipedes, and symphylans; Onychophora; and Thysanoptera. He has authored more than 100 scientific publications in his fields of research. He retired in August, 2015, after over 38 years of state service. He became a Curator Emeritus at the FSCA and continues his research on jumping spiders.
Günter E. W. Schmidt was a German arachnologist and author of a standard German work on tarantulas, Die Vogelspinnen. He has been described as one of the fathers of German arachnology.
Avicularioidea is a clade of mygalomorph spiders, one of the two main clades into which mygalomorphs are divided. It has been treated at the rank of superfamily.
Steatoda paykulliana is a species of false black widow spider in the tangle-web spiders family, native to the Mediterranean countries, Southern Europe and Western Asia. The species is named in honor of the Swedish naturalist Gustaf von Paykull (1757–1826).
Arachnophagy describes a feeding behaviour that includes arachnids. Aside from non-human creatures, the term can also refer to the practice of eating arachnids among humans.
Staveleya is a genus of European sheet weavers. Its current name is a replacement for Hypsocephalus, already a genus in the snapper family of fish. The type species was originally described under the name "Microneta pusilla", but the type species is designated one of the junior synonyms, "Cnephalocotes dahli" because it has a physical specimen. The genus is named in honour of Eliza Fanny Staveley, the first woman to publish research on arachnology in the United Kingdom.
Wilhelmus Egbertus Antonius Janssen, better known as Father Chrysanthus OFMCap, was a Dutch priest and biology teacher. He was known for his studies in arachnology. Initially he was concerned with the spiders of the Netherlands but he became a specialist on New Guinea spiders. Two spider species were named in his honor following his death.
Jochen Martens is a German zoologist, whose areas of expertise are primarily in ornithology and arachnology. He taught at the Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz from 1976 to 2012 and is considered a pioneer in the use of bioacoustics for studying the evolution of songbirds and one of the most recognized researchers in the field of Opiliones (harvestmen).
