What is a spider?
What is a spider? Revisiting the first animal species ever described
In 1757, Swedish naturalist Carl Alexander Clerck published descriptions of 66 spider species, one year before Carl Linnaeus published his famous Systema Naturae. Clerck's work was later granted priority under the international rules of zoological nomenclature, making Araneus angulatus the first animal species formally described under the modern naming system.
However, Clerck's original specimens disappeared more than a century ago. We have now designated a new reference specimen, a "neotype", collected in Sweden in 2026 and deposited in the Swedish Museum of Natural History. This provides a permanent reference for the species and helps stabilize the scientific names of the genus Araneus and the orb-weaving spider family Araneidae.
The study also uncovered potentially hidden biodiversity. DNA analyses revealed several distinct genetic lineages among spiders currently identified as Araneus angulatus, suggesting that undescribed species may be hiding under this familiar name. Further research will be needed to resolve their identities.
By combining historical detective work, traditional taxonomy, and modern genetic methods, the study provides a new foundation for understanding spider diversity and evolution. And it offers a playful answer to an even bigger question: "What is an animal?" Since spiders were the first animals formally named under zoological nomenclature, if the animal kingdom ever needed an official reference specimen, it might well be a spider — perhaps even our newly designated Araneus angulatus neotype.
Photo: Jean-Philippe Taberlet
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