The Arachnid Collections

The arachnid collection is the second largest in the world, surpassed in size only by that of the American Museum of Natural History. Elizabeth Banks Bryant contributed to and cared for the collections from approximately 1910-1950, and in her will endowed the spider collections. The careful maintenance and growth of the arachnid holdings over the past 40 years has been overseen by Herbert W. Levi.

This valuable collection includes collections made by many major arachnologists. N. Banks and R.V. Chamberlin collected in several arachnid groups. Also well represented are J.C. Chamberlin, (pseudoscorpions), C.C. Hoff, (pseudoscorpions), M.H. Muma, (solifugae), and the herpetologist A. Loveridge, (scorpions).

A keyword-searchable catalog of both type and general collection material of the following taxa is currently UNDER CONSTRUCTION for the following taxa:

See the Spider Page for information on our araneid collection.

Other Arachnological Sites

The Arachnology Home Page has all kinds of information on arachnids and arachnologists, and serves as a central link to dozens of web sites.

A list of spider collections is also kept on the Arachnology Home Page.

The American Arachnological Society is the professional organization of arachnologists in the Americas.

The International Society of Arachnologists is the international professional organization of arachnologists; their web site is a central resource for publication lists, bibliographies, and information on arachnologists.

The Arachnid pages of The Tree of Life offer a taxonomic and phylogenetic view of the arachnida.

Current spider taxonomy is summarized, with a complete taxonomic bibliography, in The World Spider Catalog, the web version of N. Platnick's Advances in Spider Taxonomy.