Systematics of Goblin Spiders (Oonopidae) and Armored Spiders (Tetrablemmidae) in Rainforest Transformation Systems on Sumatra, Indonesia
Spiders are one of the dominant groups in leaf litter and soil samples collected from rainforest transformation systems on Sumatra (Indonesia) and of high ecological importance. Yet, there is limited taxonomic expertise in Indonesia to identify spiders in a megadiverse fauna that comprises, to a high degree, species new to science. The current project aims to train an Indonesia student, Riko Fardiansah, in spider identification and taxonomy. He is working with two arachnologists at the Center of Natural History in Hamburg, which houses one of the largest arachnid collections in Europe. Mr. Fardiansah is trained in Hamburg to identify most of the spider families present in Indonesia and will learn to scientifically describe and illustrate spider species, here exemplarily in two spider families (Oonopidae and Tetrablemmidae). Both groups are a common element of litter samples taken as part of the EFForTS Project and contain a high proportion of undescribed species. Mr. Fardiansah is documenting the new species in two taxonomic manuscripts, to be published by him and his collaborators. The current project is therefore an important initiative to generate taxonomic expertise in situ, and assist a motivated student in his career aims.Description of three new species of Aposphragsima Thoma, 2014 (Araneae: Oonopidae) from Sumatra, Indonesia. (Fardiansah et al. 2018)
Description of four new species of armoured spiders (Araneae: Tetrablemmidae) from Indonesia, including the first Brignoliella species from Sumatra. (Fardiansah et al. 2019)