Arachnology


Arachnology is the scientific study of spiders and related animals such as scorpions, pseudoscorpions, and harvestmen, collectively called arachnids. Those who study spiders and other arachnids are arachnologists. More narrowly, the study of spiders alone is known as araneology.
The word "" derives from Greek ἀράχνη, arachnē, "spider"; and -λογία, -logia.

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, studying how they interact with other members of their species and/or their environment, or how they are distributed in different regions and habitats. 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. These topics include:
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
Africa
Asia
Australasia
Europe
North America
s devoted to the study of arachnids include:
In the 1970s, arachnids – particularly tarantulas – started to become popular as exotic pets. Many tarantulas thus become more widely known by their common names such as the Mexican redknee tarantula.
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.