Laboratory of Insect Taxonomy — Department of Arachnology

In the Arachnology Section the main focus of scientific work is taxonomic and comparative-morphological research on spiders (families Salticidae, Philodromidae, Lycosidae, Zodariidae, etc.). The scientific collection is represented by all orders of Arachnida and Miryapoda. Particularly, the spider collection accounts for no less than 80 thousand specimens (about 20 thousand samples). Some 500 species are represented by primary types. The collection contains important materials of such famous major national specialists as S.A. Spassky and P.I. Marikovsky (spiders), V.V. Redikortsev (pseudoscorpions), B.P. Chevrizov and N.I. Gritsenko (harvestmen), A.A. Bialynitsky-Birulia (scorpions and solpugids), and others. In the period of the 1970-1980s, a spider specialist V.I. Ovcharenko used to work in the Zoological Institute. After that, until October 2022, there were no arachnologist-curators in the Institute. At present, the section staff undertakes an audit of all available research collections and started to compile a complete type catalogue of arachnids. An active acquisition of research collections has been resumed.

Staff

Dmitri V. Logunov (Senior Researcher, Candidate of Biological Sciences)

Sergei A. Basov (Senior Research Assistant)