Aerial dispersal using silk ('ballooning') has evolved in spiders (Araneae), spider mites
(Acari) and in the larvae of moths (Lepidoptera). Since the 17th century, over 500 …

Studies in evolutionary biology and biogeography increasingly rely on the estimation of
dated phylogenetic trees using molecular clocks. In turn, the calibration of such clocks is …

We present a phylogenetic analysis of spiders using a dataset of 932 spider species,
representing 115 families (only the family Synaphridae is unrepresented), 700 known …

One of the only books to treat the whole spider, from its behavior and physiology to its
neurobiology and reproductive characteristics, Biology of Spiders is considered a classic in …

ABSTRACT Spiders (Order Araneae) are massively abundant generalist arthropod
predators that are found in nearly every ecosystem on the planet and have persisted for over …

Chelicerata probably appeared during the Cambrian period. Their precise origins remain
unclear, but may lie among the so-called great appendage arthropods. By the late Cambrian …

Incorporation of fossils into biogeographic studies can have a profound effect on the
conclusions that result, particularly when fossil ranges are nonoverlap** with extant …

The field of systematics involves at least three major elements: biodiversity exploration
(inventory); taxonomic discovery and description (taxonomy); and the estimation of …

Mygalomorph spiders, which include the tarantulas, trapdoor spiders, and their kin,
represent one of three main spider lineages. Mygalomorphs are currently classified into 15 …

The present atlas documents the morphology of representative species of 22 tetragnathid
genera, with emphasis on nontetragnathines. It includes approximately 960 scanning …