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Zoology


Branches of Zoology
Anthrozoology Apiology Arachnology Cetology Entomology Ethology Herpetology Ichthyology Malacology Mammalogy Myrmecology Neuroethology Ornithology Paleozoology Primatology
History
pre-Darwin post-Darwin
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Arachnology (from Greek: αραχνη, arachne, "spider"; and λόγος, logos, "knowledge") is the scientific study of spiders and related organisms such as scorpions, pseudoscorpions, harvestmen, collectively called arachnids. However, the study of ticks and mites is sometimes not included in arachnology, but is called Acarology. Those who study spiders are arachnologists.

Classification

Arachnologists are primarily responsible for classifying arachnids. This can be a difficult task due to the sheer number of arachnids in existence. Two species of arachnids may appear virtually identical while two others of the same species may boast very different traits. Often enough, it is only possible to discern two species by dissecting the specimen under a microscope. Although about 40,000 spider species have been described since Carl Alexander Clerck described the first spiders 250 years ago, estimates vary how many species are as yet undescribed, with some setting the number as high as 200,000. Not only do scientists find new species in the field, but lots of specimens stored in collections are waiting to be described and classified. There are museum collections of spiders already 100 years old, with specimens half macerated and discolored, still not identified. [1]

Because it is much easier to study the morphology of dead spiders than to observe their behavior in the wild, with many species living in very inaccessible places, the study of spider behavior has been much neglected.

Popular Arachnology

Around 1970 arachnids became popular pets (specifically tarantulas). This prompted sellers and breeders to appoint a second name to each type (known as a common name). Brachypelma smithi for example has become known as the Mexican redknee tarantula ever since it entered the pet trade.

See also

External links

At Wikiversity you can learn more and teach others about Arachnology at:
Zoology (from Greek: ζῴον, zoion, "animal"; and λόγος, logos, "knowledge") is the biological discipline which involves the study of animals.
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Anthrozoology is the study of human-animal interaction ("animal" referring to all non-human animals), also described as the science focusing on all aspects of the human-animal bond.
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Apiology (from Greek: api, "bee"; and λόγος, logos, "knowledge") is the scientific study of bees, a branch of entomology. Bees are often chosen as a study group to answer questions on the evolution of social systems.
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Cetology (from Greek: κητος, cetus, "whale"; and λόγος, logos, "knowledge") is the branch of marine mammal science that studies the approximately eighty species of whales, dolphins, and porpoise in the
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Entomology, from the Greek: entomo-/εντομο- "that which is cut in pieces or engraved/segmented", hence "insect"; and logos/λόγος, "knowledge",[1] is the scientific study of insects.
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Ethology (from Greek: ήθος, ethos, "custom"; and λόγος, logos, "knowledge") is the scientific study of animal behavior, and a branch of zoology.
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Herpetology (from greek: 'ερπετόν, "creeping animal" and λόγος, logos, "knowledge") is the branch of zoology concerned with the study of reptiles and amphibians.
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Ichthyology (from Greek: ἰχθυ, ikhthu, "fish"; and λόγος, logos, "knowledge") is the branch of zoology devoted to the study of fish.
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Malacology is the branch of invertebrate zoology which deals with the study of mollusks, the second-largest phylum of animals in terms of described species.[1] One division of malacology, conchology, is devoted to the study of shelled mollusks.
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In zoology, mammalogy is the study of mammals – a class of vertebrates with characteristics such as homeothermic metabolism, fur, four-chambered hearts, and complex nervous systems.
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Myrmecology is the scientific study of ants, a branch of entomology. The ant, its habits, behaviours and society have long fascinated man. Ancient Judaic and Greek moral tales both show that these societies had observed the behaviour of ants and related it to that of people.
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Not to be confused with neurotheology.


Neuroethology is a branch of neuroscience that emphasizes the study of neural mechanisms of natural behavior.
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Ornithology (from Greek: ορνισ, ornis, "bird"; and λόγος, logos, "knowledge") is the branch of zoology concerned with the study of birds.
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Paleozoology, also spelled as palaeozoology (Greek: paleon = old and zoon = animal), is the branch of paleontology or paleobiology dealing with the recovery and identification of multicellular animal remains from geological (or even archeological)
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Primatology is the study of primates. It is a diverse discipline and primatologists can be found in departments of biology, anthropology, psychology and many others.
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history of zoology before the theory of evolution proposed by Charles Darwin in 1859.

Pre-scientific zoology

Humans have been fascinated by the other members of the animal kingdom throughout history.
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This article considers the history of zoology in the years up to 1912, since the theory of evolution by natural selection proposed by Charles Darwin in 1859.
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Science (from the Latin scientia, 'knowledge'), in the broadest sense, refers to any systematic knowledge or practice.[1] Examples of the broader use included political science and computer science, which are not incorrectly named, but rather named according to
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Araneae
Clerck, 1757

Diversity
111 families, 40,000 species

Suborders

Mesothelae
Mygalomorphae
Araneomorphae
 See table of families

Spiders
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Scorpiones
C. L. Koch, 1837

Superfamilies

Pseudochactoidea
Buthoidea
Chaeriloidea
Chactoidea
Iuroidea
Scorpionoidea
See classification for families.
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Pseudoscorpionida
Haeckel, 1866

Superfamilies

Chthonioidea
Neobisioidea
Garypoidea
Cheiridioidea
Feaelloidea
Cheliferoidea

A pseudoscorpion, (also known as a false scorpion or book scorpion
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Opiliones
Sundevall, 1833

Diversity
4 suborders

Suborders

Cyphophthalmi
Eupnoi
Dyspnoi
Laniatores

Harvestmen (also known as daddy long-legs) are eight-legged invertebrate animals belonging to the order
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Arachnida
Cuvier, 1812

Extant orders

Acarina
Amblypygi
Araneae
Opiliones
Palpigradi
Pseudoscorpionida
Ricinulei
Schizomida
Scorpiones
Solifugae
Uropygi
Arachnids are a class (Arachnida
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Ixodoidea

Families

Ixodidae - Hard ticks
Argasidae - Soft ticks
Nuttalliellidae - ????? ticks

Tick is the common name for the small arachnids that, along with other mites, constitute the order Acarina.
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Mites, including ticks, belong to the subclass Acarina (also known as Acari) and the class Arachnida. Mites are among the most diverse and successful of all the invertebrate groups.
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    Acariformes
  • Parasitiformes
  • Opilioacariformes
Acarina or Acari are a taxon of arachnids that contains mites and ticks. The diversity of the Acari is extraordinary and its fossil history goes back to the Devonian era.
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For the band, see .


In biology, a specimen is an individual animal, plant or microorganism used as a representative to study the properties of the whole population of that species.
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Carl Alexander Clerck (1709-22 July 1765) was a Swedish entomologist and arachnologist.

Clerck came from a family in the petty nobility and entered the University of Uppsala in 1726.
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The behavior of spiders is an often neglected topic in the study of arachnology, stemming from the fact that it is much easier to collect dead specimens for later examination than to observe them in their often unaccessible habitat, or to create laboratory conditions suitable for the
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