What’s a Spider? Designation of the Neotype for the First Animal Species Ever Described, Araneus angulatus Clerck 1757 (Araneae: Araneidae)

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  What’s a Spider? Designation of the Neotype for the First Animal Species Ever Described, Araneus angulatus Clerck 1757 (Araneae: Araneidae) Abstract We designate a neotype for the Eurasian spider species Araneus angulatus Clerck, 1757, thereby fixing the objective application of the species name, the genus name Araneus Clerck 1757, the family name Araneidae Clerck 1757, and the superfamily name Araneoidea Clerck 1757. By etymology and arachnological tradition, it also unofficially fixes the application of the ordinal name Araneae Clerck 1757 and thus answers the uncontroversial question, “What’s a spider?” A. angulatus also happens to be historically the first animal species ever described because Clerck (1757) has priority over Linnaeus (1758). Neotype designation is justified for three reasons: the syntypes of A. angulatus are lost; “ A. angulatus ” contains significant COI sequence divergence, potentially representing intraspecific variation, misidentifications, or as many...

The genus Kimula (Opiliones: Laniatores: Kimulidae) in Puerto Rico, Greater Antilles

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 The genus Kimula (Opiliones: Laniatores: Kimulidae) in Puerto Rico, Greater Antilles

Abstract

The Antillean endemic harvestman genus Kimula, was originally established to accommodate the single Puerto Rican species Kimula elongata, the type species of the type genus of Kimulidae. The genus and the species were originally described based only on external morphology, neglecting genital characters, and thus preventing accurate identification and delimitation of the genus and the family. Here, we used an integrative approach, combining morphological observations, a phylogenetic analysis of four molecular markers (COI, 18S, 28S, and H3), and a genetic distance analysis of COI gene sequences from three K. elongata populations found in Puerto Rico to delimit the species. The analysis supports the recognition of a new species within the genus. We describe the new species Kimula boriquen sp. nov. from El Yunque National Forest, Puerto Rico and provide a detailed redescription of K. elongata, including the first description and illustration of its male genital morphology. Based on the morphology of these two Puerto Rican species, we propose an updated diagnosis for Kimula sensu stricto, which may guide future revisions of the genus.

Pereira, M.P., Colmenares, P.A. & Pérez-González, A. (2026) The genus Kimula (Opiliones: Laniatores: Kimulidae) in Puerto Rico, Greater Antilles. Zootaxa, 5862 (2), 245–270. https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5862.2.3