| Welcome to the Website of the British Arachnological Society (BAS). Here you can find information on those fascinating animals, arachnids. Our emphasis is on British spiders but we don't exclude other arachnids such as Harvestmen (opilionids), Pseudoscorpions and Scorpions. There are images, distribution maps, general and more specific information on the different groups and species and if you can't find the information that you're looking for, you can contact us directly and we'll try to help.
| Birdfair 2013
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We are excited to announce that we will be attending the Birdfair this year at Rutland Water Nature Reserve.
This is a massive three day event Friday 16th - Sunday 18th August. We will be showing live British arachnids, and providing identification help, spider hunts on site, sales and a new membership special offer.
So if you'd like to see what we do, or if you're already a member, it would be great to see you there.
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| Members' Area
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 2013 Field Weekend & AGM - Friday 31st May to Sunday 2nd June.
There's not much time left to book your place. This year we will be on the beautiful South Devon coast. The weekend includes field trips, a one-day workshop, two talks on spiders, as well as the AGM. The free one-day workshop is for BAS members who are less experienced in the practical side of arachnology. If you're a member and you haven't yet been on our annual Field Weekend, why not try it this year?
See the photos and summary of the 2012 AGM and Field Weekend in North Wales.
There is now a link in the Members' Area to the BAS 'Google Group' discussion forum. This is where members, in the UK and around the world, can submit and discuss anything of arachnological interest (comments, ideas, Q&A, advice, notices…).
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| Local Events and Training
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Check out our upcoming local workshops, field trips and shows.
These are organised regionally around the country and through the year, so keep checking back for new activities near you. You don't have to be a member to attend most of these events (although we might encourage you to join!).
Our Regional Coordinators and groups organise local field trips and attend public events, to demonstrate and identify arachnids.
We provide training workshops and courses for beginners and for those more advanced.
If you are interested in attending please ensure you book in advance with the respective organiser, as spaces are limited.
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| Spider research in UK universities
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University of Nottingham, Spider Lab; Sara Goodacre
- Nottingham Spider Lab, BBC article and video
- Works on a range of evolutionary, population and conservation genetic studies, including dispersal-strategy and the persistence of population differentiation in money spider meta-populations; mating behaviour and sex ratio bias in tree dwelling spiders; and genetic tools to study and manage endangered raft spider populations.
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Oxford University, Oxford Silk Group; Fritz Vollrath
- Studies the biology of silks with the goal to unravel their evolution, ecology, physics and chemistry; spider web engineering and behaviour; and the metabolic costs of natural silk production and the ecological costs (and benefits) of the commercial silk industry.
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University of Manchester; David Penney
- Research interests include extant and fossil spider taxonomy and systematics; evolutionary history of spiders; reconstruction of fossil ecosystems; the timing of the radiations of the major extant spider families.
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| Spider and Harvestman Recording Schemes
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Find out how your sightings of some easily recognisable arachnids can contribute to the Spider and Harvestman Recording Schemes
Using records submitted by BAS members and the public, these national recording schemes map the UK distribution of spider and harvestman species and provide details on their ecology and annual life cycles. This information including distribution maps is available here.
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| Arthropoda Selecta
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This Russian journal, in English, includes many papers on arachnids.
All these arachnid papers are available here free online to everyone - just click on this link Arthropoda Selecta
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| Featured Spider
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Our featured spider is Zygiella x-notata (Missing Sector Orb Weaver).
This is a common spider found on the outside of the windows of your house and often on the wing mirrors of your car.
The web is easily recognised, because it has a segment missing.
The spider's retreat is in the top corner of the window, or at the edge of the wing mirror in the cavity between the mirror and the casing.
Click on this link Zygiella x-notata for much more information on this fascinating spider.
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| Some common British Species
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Click on a photo to learn more about the species.
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