European Arachnology congress in Zadar highlights breakthroughs in molecular taxonomy and conservation efforts
The 35th European Congress of Arachnology convened in Zadar, Croatia, from 31 August to 5 September 2025, assembling researchers, taxonomists, ecologists and systematists from across Europe and beyond to survey advances in arachnid biology. According to the original report from the congress organisers, the meeting maintained the long-running tradition of the European arachnological community by providing an integrated forum for taxonomy, phylogenetics, biogeography, ecology, behaviour, physiology and conservation.
Held in a historic university building in Zadar’s Old Town, the congress combined formal scientific sessions with field-based learning: plenary talks, oral presentations and poster sessions were complemented by excursions to local protected areas, including Krka and Paklenica national parks. The programme structure, organisers said, emphasised both methodological innovation and applied outcomes for conservation and biodiversity assessment.
Plenary lectures addressed several high-profile themes. Speakers included Stefano Mammola on subterranean spiders, Miquel A. Arnedo on high-throughput sequencing approaches, and Mark Harvey on pseudoscorpion phylogeny, reflecting a balance between field ecology and molecular systematics. Industry data from the programme indicates sessions also focused on sexual size dimorphism, integrative taxonomy and novel biodiversity discovery, signalling ongoing cross-disciplinary collaboration within the field.
The congress’s Book of Abstracts, made publicly available by the organisers, compiles the scientific contributions presented and serves as a snapshot of contemporary arachnological research. According to the organisers’ announcement, the volume captures oral presentations, poster abstracts and thematic symposia, and is intended as a reference for researchers, students and citizen scientists seeking to align their work with current trends in European and international arachnology.
Practical support for participation included a registration window that closed on 20 June, with early-bird rates and student grants offered to members of the European Society of Arachnology and the Arachnologische Gesellschaft. The availability of travel grants and discounted registration, organisers noted, was designed to broaden participation among early-career researchers and foster knowledge transfer across career stages. The European Society of Arachnology continues to play an organising and supporting role for such annual meetings, underscoring its mission to promote exchanges between researchers and institutions.
Beyond the immediate scientific outputs, the congress strengthened networks between established experts and emerging scholars, organisers and participants said, and reinforced the role of regional meetings in advancing both basic and applied arachnological science. The public release of the Book of Abstracts was highlighted by the organising institutions as an intentional move to enhance the dissemination of findings and to provide a durable resource for the community.
For associations, confederations and trade bodies concerned with biodiversity, conservation or academic training, the Zadar meeting illustrated how specialist congresses can combine rigorous science with capacity building, stakeholder engagement and public-facing dissemination. Governmental and institutional partners involved in hosting the event framed it as both a scientific success and an example of how targeted support, from grants to field excursions, can increase participation and broaden the impact of disciplinary meetings.