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

Posted by
  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...

Revision of Bermejoa panguana Portela & Ríos-Tamayo 2025 and Vitriemboli herzogi (Gabriel, Sherwood & Pérez-Miles 2023) (Araneae, Theraphosidae, Theraphosinae)

Posted by

 

Revision of Bermejoa panguana Portela & Ríos-Tamayo 2025 and Vitriemboli herzogi (Gabriel, Sherwood & Pérez-Miles 2023) (Araneae, Theraphosidae, Theraphosinae)

Abstract

Bermejoa panguana Portela & Ríos-Tamayo 2025 is revised and considered a nomen nudum. This species was described in violation of ICZN rules and the recommenda-tions of the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature (ICZN), and the accepted standards of scientific best practice, the description of the male holotype, the name bearing type, is missing. According to Article 13, the description section is mandatory for new species. Vitriemboli herzogi (Gabriel, Sherwood Pérez-Miles 2023), species inquirenda, is provisionally transferred back to Reversopelma Schmidt 2001 because of the presence of the type I urticating setae. The diagnosis of the genus VitriemboliPeñaherrera-R., Ríos-Tamayo, Sherwood, Gabriel, Guerrero-Campoverde, Léon-E., Mora-Bolaños & Cisneros-Heredia 2025 has been modified.

Kaderka, R. (2026). Revisión de Bermejoa panguana Portela & Ríos-Tamayo 2025 y Vitriemboli herzogi (Gabriel, Sherwood & Pérez-Miles 2023) (Araneae, Theraphosidae, Theraphosinae). Revista Peruana De Biología, 33(3), e34744. https://doi.org/10.15381/rpb.v33i3.34744