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Arachnology

Arachnologyis thescientificstudy ofarachnids,which comprisespidersand related invertebrates such asscorpions,pseudoscorpions,andharvestmen.Those who study spiders and other arachnids arearachnologists.More narrowly, the study of spiders alone (orderAraneae) is known as araneology.[1]

Trichonephila clavipes

The word "arachnology"derives from theGreekwordsἀράχνη,arachnē,"spider"; and-λογία,-logia,"the study of a particular subject". The greek word for "spider" itself refers toArachne,the female protagonist of an ancient tale of theGreek Mythology.

Arachnology as a science

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Arachnologists are primarily responsible forclassifyingarachnids 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 theirevolutionary relationshipsto 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 theanatomyor 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

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Arachnology can be broken down into several specialties, including:

Arachnological societies

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Arachnologists are served by a number ofscientific 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 publishacademic journals.Some are also involved inscience outreachprograms, such as theEuropean spider of the year,which raise awareness of these animals among the general public.

International

Africa

  • African Arachnological Society (AFRAS)website

Asia

Australasia

Europe

North America

Arachnological journals

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Scientific journalsdevoted 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
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In the 1970s, arachnids – particularlytarantulas– started to become popular as exotic pets. Many tarantulas consequently became more widely known by their common names, such asMexican redknee tarantulaforBrachypelma hamorii.

Various societies now focus on thehusbandry,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

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References

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  1. ^"Definition of ARANEOLOGY".merriam-webster.com.Retrieved2020-12-23.
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