Danniella Sherwood

Arachnology Research Association

A checklist of all currently described matronymic genera in spiders honouring arachnologists (both valid and invalid nomina) is given, along with discussion on their taxonomic history and about the honourees of each respective genus. We located a total of 30 matronyms named for arachnologists. Three women have three valid generic nomina named for t...

The lycosid fauna of Saint Helena, consisting of entirely endemic species, is revised. Lycosa ringens Tongiorgi, 1977 and Lycosa elysae Tongiorgi, 1977 are redescribed and transferred to Antembolus gen. nov., creating the new combinations Antembolus elysae comb. nov. and Antembolus ringens comb. nov. Dolocosa dolosa O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1873, Hogn...

An examination of Pseudoscorpiones de Geer, 1778 material, new and old, from Ascension Island – one of the world’s most remote islands – revealed six endemic species. Four are previously known from the island: Apocheiridium cavicola Mahnert, 1993, Garypus titanius Beier, 1961, Stenowithius duffeyi Beier, 1961, and Withius ascensionis (Beier, 1961),...

A new spider species, Selenogyrus foordi sp. nov. (♂♀), is described from Mount Nimba, Guinea. Consequently, we provide the first in vivo photographs of a selenogyrine in the scientific literature and the first record of Selenogyrinae Smith, 1990 from Guinea. We also record S. aureus Pocock, 1897, described from Sierra Leone, from Massif du Ziama B...

An annotated checklist and taxonomic review of the spiders of Saint Helena is presented. A total of 88 genera and 114 species are known; of these, 12 genera and 45 species are endemic. Two new genera and two new species are described: Anapistula martinae Sherwood, Harvey, Fowler, Joshua, Stevens, Scipio O’Dean & Ellick sp. nov., Helenidion Sherwood...

An adult male of Anoploscelus lesserti Laurent, 1946 from Burundi, deposited in the Royal Museum for Central Africa (RMCA) with a regenerated right chelicera is illustrated and discussed. Simultaneously, this constitutes the first record of the genus Anoploscelus Pocock, 1897 for Burundi.

Eighteen new cases of teratology and other abnormalities within scorpions are presented, representing new cases of metasomal duplication, mesosomal anomaly, telson anomaly, albinism, and abnormal pigmentation. Furthermore, recently published literature on other scorpion anomalies are tabulated to update the recent 2023 checklist of scorpion teratol...

The locality of Porvenir, sensu the collecting locality of Perry O. Simons (1869–1901), is geolocated, and approximate coordinates are provided, along with a map showing a number of other important nearby sites also visited by Simons and referenced in the historical zoological literature. Discussion on the incongruent coordinates for this locality...

Trechona munduruku sp. nov. is described from Flona do Tapajós, Belterra, Pará, Brazil, based on a holotype male deposited in the Instituto Butantan, São Paulo, Brazil. The new species is the first of the genus known from Brazilian Amazonia.

A new species of the Caribbean genus Cyrtopholis Simon, 1892, Cyrtopholis montserrat sp. nov. is described from the United Kingdom Overseas Territory (UKOT) of Montserrat, based on both sexes. Cyrtopholis femoralis Pocock, 1903 is redescribed from the holotype male with the first figures of the genitalia of this Montserrat endemic spider presented....

Sherwood & Armas (2023) provided a comprehensive and up to-date list of scorpions detected as stowaways in the United Kingdom. Since that work, the senior author has received further enquiries which contribute a number of new records for the literature. Furthermore, it came to our attention through correspondence with colleagues that we ought to ex...

A new species of the charismatic mygalomorph genus Ummidia Thorell, 1875 is described from Útila Island, Honduras. Ummidia sukuhpaya sp. nov. represents the third species known from Honduras, and the first species known from Útila.

Morphological anomalies in theraphosid spiders have received increased attention and review in the last four years (Gabriel & Sherwood 2020; Sherwood et al. 2021; Sherwood & Gabriel2023), bringing the total number of published records to around twenty. To date, anomalies have been reported in the eyes, legs, abdominal patterning, male palpal bulb,...

A new dictynid species of the genus Thallumetus Simon, 1893 with a highly modified male palpal patella and tibia, combined with a unique shape to the epigyne, is described from Ascension Island in the South Atlantic Ocean: Thallumetus ascensionensis sp. nov. The new species represents the first report of of the family Dictynidae from Ascension and...

We present new records and species of running crab spiders (family Philodromidae) from Colombia representing four genera: Apollophanes O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1898, Gephyrellula Strand, 1932, Petrichus Simon, 1886, and Tibelloides Mello-Leitão, 1939. The genus Gephyrellula is recorded based on the newly described G. lavidabonita sp. nov., known from...

A new species of the genus Hibana Brescovit, 1991, previously known only from the Americas, is described from Ascension Island, based on both sexes: Hibana ascensionensis sp. nov. complemented with colour photographs of specimen habitus, male chelicera, and the copulatory organs of both sexes. Hitherto , the family Anyphaenidae Bertkau, 1878 had no...

Sherwood (2019) synonymised the Indian species Poecilotheria chaojii Mirza, Sanap & Bhosale, 2014 with P. tigrinawesseli Smith, 2006 based on the morphology of the ventral leg markings (VLM) and the taxonomic insignificance of differences in the number of maxillary tubercles. She also stated: “Further photographs (requested) of the P. chaojii holot...

Anomalies in the right-hand eyes and left-hand legs of a subadult female of the genus Thomisus Walckenaer, 1805 collected from the Thar Desert, India are detailed, along with photomicrographs

Ten names for spiders from India, currently recognised as valid by the World Spider Catalog (2024), are shown to be unavailable. Thirty-four spider names which available, but which instead present taxonomic problems are treated as nomina dubia.

The fundamental value of universal nomenclatural systems in biology is that they enable unambiguous scientific communication. However, the stability of these systems is threatened by recent discussions asking for a fairer nomenclature, raising the possibility of bulk revision processes for "inappropriate" names. It is evident that such proposals co...

The species of the genus Thelcticopis Karsch, 1884 from India, Myanmar, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka are reviewed. Stasina nalandica Karsch, 1892 and S. paripes (Karsch, 1879) are re-transferred to the genus Thelcticopis.Thelcticopis ajax Pocock, 1901, T. bicornuta Pocock, 1901, T. birmanica Thorell, 1895 stat. rev., T. hercules Pocock, 1901, T. moolamp...

An incongruence in palpal bulb and spermathecal morphologies between groupings of species of the genus Hapalopus Ausserer, 1875 has persisted for some time. We redefine Hapalopus based on examination of the holotype male of the type species, Hapalopus formosus Ausserer, 1875, housed in the Naturhistorisches Museum Wien. Three new species of Hapalop...

In this work, we elucidate the taxonomic identity of Opopaea euphorbicola (= O. deserticola Simon, 1892) and designate a neotype to stabilise its taxonomy and nomenclature. We also newly record three other oonopid spiders from Ascension Island. The goblin spiders of Ascension are unremarkable; all constitute non-native and widespread species which...

A new species of the genus Cyclocosmia Ausserer, 1871 is described from Vietnam: Cyclocosmia abramovi sp.n., based on males collected from Nghe An Province.

Hysterocrates celerierae (Smith, 1990), hitherto known only from Cote d’Ivoire, is newly recorded from Burkina Faso based on adult females examined in the Zoological Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences.

Current knowledge on the diversity, distribution, ecology and medical importance of the scorpions from the United Kingdom Overseas Territories (UKOTs) is synthesised and discussed. Scorpions are absent from British Antarctic and British Indian Ocean territories, the Falkland Islands, the Pitcairn Islands, and South Georgia and the South Sandwich Is...

Two new species of Thrixopelma Schmidt, 1994 are described from Peru based on historic male specimens: Thrixopelma christineae sp. nov. and Thrixopelma eliseanneae sp. nov., both deposited in the Muséum national d'histoire naturelle, Paris. This work increases the diversity of this genus to ten, and the total number of congeners known from Peru to...

This case study deals with some invertebrate fragments recovered during an inspection of the preserved remains of Santa Maria Maddalena de' Pazzi in Florence, Italy. Sampling of these fragments was followed by their careful identification by microscopic examination and direct comparison with identified voucher specimens. Results showed that a curre...

Herein, we redescribe Neostenotarsus guianensis (Caporiacco, 1954) nearly seven decades after its original description. In the original description of Neostenotarsus scissistylus Tesmoingt & Schmidt, 2002, we found characters incongruent with N. guianensis, namely, the purported presence of serration on the prolateral keels of the palpal bulb; a na...

Four new species of Cymbiapophysa Gabriel & Sherwood, 2020 from northwestern Ecuador are described based on unique combinations of male palpal bulb and female spermathecae morphology: C. ashily sp. nov., C. matildeae sp. nov., C. otongachi sp. nov., and C. yumbos sp. nov. An updated diagnosis, key to species, and comparative plate of the male palpa...

A remarkable morphologically and genetically distinct species of the genus Ero C.L. Koch, 1836 is described based on both sexes from the cloud forest of the island of Saint Helena: Ero lizae sp. nov. Another new species, Ero natashae sp. nov., is also described on the basis of morphological differences in the male and female genitalia. Both species...

A male specimen of Cyriocosmus elegans (Simon, 1889) is illustrated and complementarily described, representing the first record of the genus Cyriocosmus Simon, 1903 from Guyana.

La fauna de arácnidos de Cuba está bien estudiada en el contexto de revisiones taxonómicas tradicionales y estudios ecológicos. Sin embargo, con la creciente disponibilidad de datos adicionales proporcionados por la ciencia ciudadana, se decidió analizar todos los registros de Amblypygi, Ricinulei, Scorpiones, Solifugae y Uropygi de Cuba del sitio...

Creugas gulosus Thorell, 1878 is formally recorded from Ascension Island for the first time. Previously, this species had been recorded, misidentified under two other generic names, in two published works. Its true identity is established herein.

The subfamily Trichopelmatinae of the family Theraphosidae Thorell, 1869 (tarantulas) comprise 31described species. They are known only from the New World, particularly the Caribbean, Central and South America (Mori and Bertani 2020). However information on the ecology and behaviour of this group is sparse. Trichopelma coenobita was originally desc...

Ujjwala Shivaji Deshmukh described Stegodyphus semadohensis based on a holotype female from the village of Semadoh in the state of Maharashtra, India (Deshmukh, 2013; note: the surname of the author is Deshmukh not Shivaji). The description is very short, and several of the figures are of poor quality. Nonetheless, the illustrations of the epigyne...

The theraphosid Chromatopelma cyaneopubescens (Strand, 1907), known as the Green Bottle Blue Tarantula worldwide, but in Venezuela under the common name Tarántula Azul de Paraguaná, is a charismatic species endemic to Venezuela. Hitherto, almost all information known about this species comes from data gathered in captivity. Through utilizing verifi...

An anomalous left palpal bulb of a non-type male of Hapalotremus yuraqchanka Sherwood et al., 2021from Bolivia is described, based on a specimen deposited in the collections of the American Museumof Natural History.

The Southern House Spider Kukulcania hibernalis (Hentz, 1842), native to coastal eastern Mexico and the eastern United States, is widely distributed in Central and South America, the Caribbean, and has been recorded from Liberia and the Canary Islands. Recent examination of material from Ascension Island and Saint Barthélemy newly confirm its prese...

We describe a new species of Oecobius Lucas, 1846 from the Thar Desert ecoregion in India, based on both sexes: Oecobius thar sp. nov.. We also provide photographs of the new species in vivo and the general habitat of its type locality.

The salticid fauna of Ascension Island is discussed. Additional records of the previously recorded Hasarius adansoni (Audouin 1826), Menemerus bivittatus (Dufour 1831) and Plexippus paykulli (Audouin 1826) are presented and the first records of Hentzia antillana Bryant 1940 are made, based on specimens of both sexes. We also discuss the possible id...

Whilst undertaking curation in the collections of the Natural History Museum, London, the senior author came across a jar of scorpions marked ‘scorpions with curled feet’. Further investigation showed this jar was full of scorpions with teratological anatomy. We hereby document and illustrate all of the specimens and discuss their respective anomal...

Evarcha pulchella (Thorell 1895) is recorded for the first time from India. Hitherto, this species has not been recorded again in the last 128 years since its original description. Detailed diagnostic illustrations and photographs of specimens are provided, along with a map.

The type material of Xenesthis colombiana Simon, 1891, X. immanis Ausserer, 1875, and X. monstrosa Pocock, 1903, are redescribed, with additional specimens of X. colombiana recorded. A neotype is designated for Xenesthis intermedia Schiapelli and Gerschman, 1945, as the holotype is lost; the female is redescribed, and the male is described for the...

During recent routine curatorial work in the Natural History Museum, London three additional specimens, two of Diplura nigra (F. O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1896) and one of D. sanguinea (F. O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1896) – previously not known to have been separated from the original respective type samples according the museum database – were located in a...

A review of type material and newly collected material of the family Prodidomidae Simon, 1884 from Ascension Island is presented. Prodidomus clarki Cooke, 1964 is proposed as a junior synonym of Prodidomus rufus Hentz, 1847 syn. nov., and Prodidomus duffeyi Cooke, 1964 is deemed as a valid species but known only from a single bleached specimen, fur...

An updated checklist of the gnaphosid spiders of Ascension Island – comprising five species, in five genera – is presented, based on examination of historical and new specimens from across Ascension, including its islet Boatswain Bird Island. The continued presence of the non-native Marinarozelotes jaxartensis (Kroneberg, 1875), Urozelotes rusticus...

Clubiona hitchinsi Saaristo, 2002, previously known from the Seychelles and French Polynesia, is newly recorded from Ascension Island, based on comparison of the Ascension specimens against two paratypes. The first detailed figures of the endogyne, based on a paratype, are provided. Characters in this species not found in European species of Clubio...

The fundamental value of universal nomenclatural systems in biology is that they enable unambiguous scientific communication. However, the stability of the systems is threatened by recent discussions asking for a fairer nomenclature, raising the possibility of bulk revision processes for “inappropriate” names. It is evident that such proposals come...

The type material of Pamphobeteus ultramarinus Schmidt, 1995 and P. vespertinus (Simon, 1889) are redescribed. The male of P. lapola Sherwood, Gabriel, Brescovit & Lucas, 2022 is described for the frst time. Six new species are described: P. amazonas Sherwood, Gabriel, Peñaherrera-R., Cisneros-Heredia., León-E., Brescovit & Lucas sp. nov. from Braz...

Two new genera, Bermejoa gen. nov. and Isiboroa gen. nov. are described to house the species Bermejoa zoeae sp. nov. and Isiboroa hamelae sp. nov., respectively. Two new species of existing genera are also described: Plesiopelma manni sp. nov. and Reversopelma herzogi sp. nov. Homoeomma peruvianum (Chamberlin, 1916) and Acanthoscurria sacsayhuaman...

Platnickina adamsoni (Berland, 1934) is recorded from Ascension Island for the first time, based on an examined adult female, collected by vegetation beating. The complex taxonomic history of P. adamsoni is discussed, to contextualize the significance of this record, which may have been misidentified as a similar congener – Platnickina mneon (Bösen...

Spiders (Araneae Clerck 1757) constitute the largest and most diverse lineage of arachnids, totalling over 51,000 currently valid described species (World Spider Catalog 2023), although the total number of known species is likely to be upwards of double of this figure (Platnick and Raven 2012). The presence of spinnerets (a type of silk producing o...

The specimens of Actinopus Perty, 1833 deposited at the Natural History Museum, London are catalogued. Redescriptions of Actinopus crassipes (Keyserling, 1891), A. harti Pocock, 1895, A. liodon (Ausserer, 1875), A. robustus (O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1892), and A. wallacei F. O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1896 are presented. A lectotype and paralectotypes are...

The Central American bark scorpion Centruroides nigrimanus (Pocock, 1898) was described on the basis of an adult male holotype from Oaxaca, Mexico, and an immature paratype from Honduras. In relation to the latter specimen, Pocock (1898: 388) wrote: “Also a younger specimen of apparently the same species from Honduras (Indo-Colonial Exhibition)”. A...

The type material of three species of the endemic genus Tecution Benoit, 1977 on Saint Helena are re-examined. Tecution helenicola Benoit, 1977 syn. nov. and Tecution mellissi (O. Pickard- Cambridge, 1873) syn. nov. are synonymized with Tecution planum (O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1873), based on identical palpal morphology and the discovery of a gradien...

Cymbiapophysa Gabriel & Sherwood, 2020 is a theraphosine genus endemic to South America, diagnosable on genital organ morphology in both sexes, and the presence of a distal-retrolateral apophysis on the male cymbium. Examination of historical material in the Natural History Museum, London, recently revealed a new species from Carondelet, Ecuador, w...

The unknown female of Psalistopoides fulvimanus Mello-Leitão, 1934 is described for the first time. Specimens from the state of Paraná were examined and new records were from additional localities were made, expanding its known distribution in Brazil.

Previous and new records of scorpions detected as stowaways in the United Kingdom are presented and discussed. Five taxa are recorded in the scientific literature for the first time: Centruroides insulanus (Thorell, 1876, Centruroides sp. (nigrovariatus species group), Hottentotta cf. tamulus (Fabricius, 1798), Mesobuthus sp. and Cercophonius squam...

Zoropsis rufipes (Lucas, 1838) is a recorded stowaway to the United Kingdom but the literature in which it was recorded is not widely known. It has thus hitherto not been recorded as a known stowaway in the modern checklists of British spiders. Recently, we discovered specimens in the Natural History Museum, London, providing further records, allow...

The liocranid spider Oedignatha indica Reddy & Patel, 1993 is a junior homonym of Oedignatha indica (Tikader, 1981), resultant from the latter species recently being transferred to this genus. Oedignatha indica Reddy & Patel, 1993 has no junior synonyms, and thus a replacement name is newly proposed in this work: Oedignatha elhennawyi nom. nov.

The first formal record of Eucratoscelus pachypus Schmidt & von Wirth, 1990 from Kenya is reported, based on observation of a female on the western slopes of the Chyulu Hills by the second author. This charismatic species is easily identified based on photographs.

The holotypes of the three remaining valid species of South American jumping spiders described by H. D. Badcock are re-evaluated, following their recent examination and recuration. Plexippus luteus Badcock, 1932 was described based on an immature specimen which is not identifiable to species level. Prószyński (2017) regarded it as an "unrecognisabl...

Oonops erinaceus Benoit, 1977 is a junior synonym of Triaeris stenaspis Simon, 1892.

A new species of Anisaspis Simon, 1892, Anisaspis awa sp. nov., is described from Volcán Chiles, Carchi, Ecuador, constituting the first record of Anisaspis from Ecuador.

Nhandu sylviae sp. nov. is described from Guyana, representing the first record of the genus Nhandu Lucas, 1983 from Guyana and the first record in northern South America.

A new species of Paratropis Simon, 1889, P. tortue sp. nov., based on the holotype male, is described from Petites Montagnes Tortue Biological Reserve, French Guiana.

Five spider names published in Emerit (1980), considered nomina nuda by Brignoli (1983), are demonstrated to be available under Article 13.1.1 of the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature. Therefore, the authorship dates of these names, two previously considered permanent nomina nuda and three of which were considered made valid in a subseq...

Congress abstract of oral presentation EIGHT-LEGGED JEWELS IN THE HAZE: AN APPROACH TO TARANTULA (ARANEAE: THERAPHOSIDAE) DIVERSITY AND BIOGEOGRAPHY IN THE JUBONES BASIN, SOUTHWESTERN ECUADOR XXII International Congress of Arachnology – Montevideo, 2023

Based on male specimens, two new sympatric species of Actinopus Perty, 1833 from Paraguay: Actinopus tetymapyta sp. nov. and Actinopus tasneemae sp. nov. are described. The remarkable discovery of two species occurring sympatrically in the humid Chaco ecoregion of Paraguay demonstrates the species richness of the genus.

The male of Linothele longicauda (Ausserer, 1871) is described for the first time and the male of Linothele gaujoni (Simon, 1889) is redescribed, based in both cases on material held in the collections of the Natural History Museum, London.

The Brazilian paratropidid Anisaspoides gigantea F. O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1896 is redescribed based on the female holotype, and the Saint Vincentian paratropidid Anisaspis tuberculata Simon, 1892 is also illustrated, discussed, and typified based on the immature syntypes. The urgent need for more material of these taxa in order to understand their...

A selenopid specimen detected in Guernsey, Channel Islands in the 1950s but previously unreported in the literature is illustrated and reported based on examination of the adult female specimen, which was deposited at the Natural History Museum, London.

The first formally reported records of Macrothele calpeiana (Walckenaer, 1805) as a stowaway in the United Kingdom are presented.

The lectotype and paralectotype males of Neoholothele incei (F. O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1899) are discussed and the lectotype illustrated. Further records of non-type specimens of N. incei found in the collections of the Natural History Museum, London are listed, and new distribution records verified by the first author on the website iNaturalist are...

The species Pamphobeteus antinous Pocock, 1903, P. fortis (Ausserer, 1875), P. insignis Pocock, 1903, and P. ornatus Pocock, 1903 are redescribed, based on examination of the respective type material. Lectotypes are designated for Pamphobeteus ferox (Ausserer, 1875) and P. nigricolor (Ausserer, 1875), with these taxa also redescribed. A new diagnos...

The enigmatic Cuban araneids Araneus bipunctatus Franganillo, 1931 and Araneus lineatus Franganillo, 1931, neither located nor redescribed since their original descriptions, are discussed. A. bipunctatus is considered a nomen dubium due to the very short and vague description and the absence of type material. A. lineatus is proposed as a junior syn...

New faunistic records based on a small number of oonopids collected in Saint Helena are presented. Two unavailable names, “Xeroonops” and “Xeroonops spinipalpis”, previously not remarked on by other authors, are discussed.

Euthycaelus janae sp. nov. is described from Pebas, Peru based on a holotype female in the Natural History Museum, London, simultaneously constituting the first record of the subfamily Schismatothelinae Guadanucci, 2014 in Peru.

Whilst conducting research on the nomenclature of spiders, a possible homonymy was detected by the author, namely of the philodromid spider genus Eminella Özdikmen, 2007 and the bradoriid genus "Eminella" Li, 1975. However, subsequent research found "Eminella" was an incorrect subsequent spelling of Emeiella Lee, 1975. Thus, the homonymy was non-ex...

The spider genera Leroya Lewis & Dippenaar-Schoeman, 2014 (Araneae: Thomisidae) and Tangaroa Lehtinen, 1967 (Araneae: Uloboridae) are preoccupied, the former by Leroya Grandidier, 1887 (Mollusca: Ampullariidae) and the latter by Tan-garoa Marcus, 1952 (Neorhabdocoela: Solenopharyngidae). Therefore, the respective replacement names Ansistaria nom. n...

A summary of the present knowledge on the biogeography and ecology of the known theraphosid spiders in the Darién region, Panama is presented. Hapalopus coloratus (Valerio, 1982) is redescribed, Holothele longipes (L. Koch, 1875), Neischno-colus panamanus (Petrunkevitch, 1925) and Psalmopoeus pulcher Pretunkevitch, 1925 are briefly discussed. Five...