Arachnology

Arachnology is the scientific study of arachnids, which comprise spiders and related invertebrates such as scorpions, pseudoscorpions, and harvestmen. Those who study spiders and other arachnids are arachnologists. More narrowly, the study of spiders alone (order Araneae) is known as araneology.
The word "arachnology" derives from Greek , arachnē, "spider"; and , -logia, "the study of a particular subject".
Arachnology as a science
Arachnologists are primarily responsible for classifying arachnids and studying aspects of their biology. In the popular imagination, they are sometimes referred to as spider experts. Disciplines within arachnology include naming species and determining their evolutionary relationships to one another (taxonomy and systematics), studying how they interact with other members of their species and/or their environment (behavioural ecology), or how they are distributed in different regions and habitats (faunistics). Other arachnologists perform research on the anatomy or physiology of arachnids, including the venom of spiders and scorpions. Others study the impact of spiders in agricultural ecosystems and whether they can be used as biological control agents.
Subdisciplines
Arachnology can be broken down into several specialties, including:
acarology – the study of ticks and mites
araneology – the study of spiders
scorpiology – the study of scorpions
Arachnological societies
Arachnologists are served by a number of scientific societies, both national and international in scope. Their main roles are to encourage the exchange of ideas between researchers, to organise meetings and congresses, and in a number of cases, to publish academic journals. Some are also involved in science outreach programs, such as the European spider of the year, which raise awareness of these animals among the general public.
International
International Society of Arachnology (ISA) website
Africa
African Arachnological Society (AFRAS) website
Asia
Arachnological Society of Japan (ASJ) website
Asian Society of Arachnology (ASA) website
Indian Society of Arachnology website
Iranian Arachnological Society (IAS) website
Australasia
Australasian Arachnological Society website
Europe
Aracnofilia – Associazione Italiana di Aracnologia website
Arachnologia Belgica – Belgian Arachnological Society (ARABEL) website
Arachnologische Gesellschaft (AraGes) website
Association Francaise d'Arachnologie (AsFrA) website
British Arachnological Society (BAS) website
Czech Arachnological Society website
European Society of Arachnology (ESA) website
Grupo Ibérico de Aracnologia (Iberian Peninsula) website
Magyar Arachnolgia – Hungarian Arachnology
North America
American Arachnological Society (AAS) website
Arachnological journals
Scientific journals devoted to the study of arachnids include:
Acarologia
Acta Arachnologica – published by the Arachnological Society of Japan
Arachnida: Rivista Aracnologica Italiana
Arachnology – published by the British Arachnological Society
Arachnology Letters – published by the Arachnologische Gesellschaft
International Journal of Acarology
Journal of Arachnology – published by the American Arachnological Society
Revista Ibérica de Aracnología – published by the Grupo Ibérico de Aracnología
Revue Arachnologique
Serket
Popular arachnology
In the 1970s, arachnids – particularly tarantulas – started to become popular as exotic pets. Many tarantulas consequently became more widely known by their common names, such as Mexican redknee tarantula for Brachypelma hamorii.
Various societies now focus on the husbandry, care, study, and captive breeding of tarantulas, and other arachnids. They also typically produce journals or newsletters with articles and advice on these subjects.
British Tarantula Society (BTS) website
Deutsche Arachnologische Gesellschaft (DeArGe) website
The American Tarantula Society (ATS) website
See also
Cultural depictions of spiders
Entomology
:Category:Arachnologists
References
External information links
International Society of Arachnology
Spider Myths: Spiders are Easy to Identify
Spiders and humans
Subfields of zoology
Subfields of arthropodology