Notes on Indian wolf spiders: IV. Transfer of species previously included in the genera Crocodilosa Caporiacco, 1947 and Geolycosa Montgomery, 1904 (Araneae: Lycosidae)

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  Notes on Indian wolf spiders: IV. Transfer of species previously included in the genera Crocodilosa Caporiacco, 1947 and Geolycosa Montgomery, 1904 (Araneae: Lycosidae) The enigmatic Crocodilosa Caporiacco, 1947 sensu lato currently consists of five nominal species distributed in Africa and Asia (World Spider Catalog 2026). It was established for C. kittenbergeri Caporiacco, 1947, with a superficial generic diagnosis relying only on somatic features such as length of eye rows, leg spination and relative leg lengths (Caporiacco 1947). Roewer (1955), following Caporiacco’s (1947) generic diagnosis, drastically increased the number of Crocodilosa species by transferring several species from other lycosid genera, but most of these subsequently added species were later reassigned to their appropriate genera (World Spider Catalog 2026), highlighting the need for a re-examination of the type species and remaining congeners to clarify the validity of Crocodilosa. At present, the genus ha...

Taxonomy Takes Time: Shortcuts to Synonymy

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Taxonomy Takes Time: Shortcuts to Synonymy

Abstract

Taxonomy is the foundation of biology, providing the currency (species) for biological studies and the handle (epithet) to refer to them. The task at hand is urgent: a race against extinction as most species remain undescribed and expertise declines. In response, various ‘rapid taxonomy’ approaches aim to hasten descriptions. Good examples exist that genuinely accelerate the growth of taxonomic knowledge, but shortcuts risk errors that may take more time to resolve than the original work took to produce. Authors must consider (1) the total time budget, including subsequent revisions necessitated by inadequate taxonomy; (2) the taxonomic literature on regional and widespread taxa; and (3) illustration quality as a critical and enduring component of species description. Reviewers and editors must also ensure minimum standards. I discuss a recent example where shortcuts, instead of accelerating taxonomy, merely borrowed time. Anelosimus blackgardens, Anelosimus covepond, Coleosoma roadsalt—all Sherwood, Mukhida & Connor, 2026—lacked sufficient reference to genus-level revisions and established genus-level synapomorphies and are proposed here as junior synonyms of widespread theridiids: T. dilucidum Simon, 1898 syn. nov., T. melanostictum O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1876 syn. nov., and C. blandum O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1882 syn. nov., respectively. The urgent task of documenting biodiversity can be sped up through effective allocation of effort, but not without due consideration of the taxonomic literature.

Agnarsson, I. (2026). Taxonomy Takes Time: Shortcuts to Synonymy. Taxonomy, 6(3), 56. https://doi.org/10.3390/taxonomy6030056