SI Entomology Staff
Jonathan A. Coddington, Curator of Arachnids & Myriapods
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Research Interests:
My research spans three broad topics: the systematics and evolution of spiders, especially orbweavers; issues in systematic theory and method; and, most recently, the theory and design of biological inventories. Research on spider systematics has been directed at producing and synthesizing a first estimate of the higher phylogeny of spiders (e.g. "families"), especially orb-weaving spiders and their relatives. The resulting cladograms have been applied to empirical and theoretical studies of adaptation, behavior, evolution of web architecture, silk glands and spinneret spigot morphology,male genitalia, sexual size dimorphism, and patterns of species richness in spiders. I am interested in how adaptational hypotheses are developed and tested, as well as criteria for cladistic support. Finally, as a museum scientist, it seems appropriate to focus on design and evaluation of rapid, efficient, quantitative sampling protocols to better understand the structure and distribution of biodiversity.
Selected Publications:
Ramirez, M. J., J. A. Coddington, W. P. Maddison, P. Midford, L. Prendini, J. Miller, C. E. Griswold, G. Hormiga, P. Sierwald, N. Scharff, S. P. Benjamin, & W. C. Wheeler. 2007. Linking of digital images to phylogenetic data matrices using a morphological ontology. Syst. Biology, 56(2): 283-294.
Agnarsson, I., L. Avilés, J. A. Coddington, and W. P. Maddison. 2006. Sociality in theridiid spiders: repeated origins of an evolutionary dead-end. Evolution, 60(11): 2342–2351.
Coddington, J. A. & I. Agnarsson. 2006. Subsociality in Helvibis thorelli Keyserling, 1884 (Araneae, Theridiidae, Theridiinae) from French Guiana. J. Arachnology, 34: 642–645.
Agnarsson, I. & J. A. Coddington. 2006. Notes on web and web plasticity and description of the male of Achaearanea hieroglyphica (Mello-Leitão) (Araneae, Theridiidae). J. Arachnology, 34:638–641.
Lopardo, L. and J. A. Coddington. 2005. Mysmenidae. pp. 175-177. In D. Ubick, P. E. Cushing, and P. Paquin, eds. Spiders of North America: an Identification Manual. American Arachnology Society.
Coddington, J. A. 2005. Theridiosomatidae. pp. 244-245. In D. Ubick, P. E. Cushing, and P. Paquin, eds. Spiders of North America: an Identification Manual. American Arachnology Society.
Coddington, J. A. 2005. Phylogeny and Classification of Spiders. pp. 18-24. In D. Ubick, P. E. Cushing, and P. Paquin, eds. Spiders of North America: an Identification Manual. American Arachnology Society.
Coddington, J. A. 2005. Deinopidae. pp. 64-65. In D. Ubick, P. E. Cushing, and P. Paquin, eds. Spiders of North America: an Identification Manual. American Arachnology Society.
Coddington, J. A. 2005. Symphytognathidae. pp. 226-227. In D. Ubick, P. E. Cushing, and P. Paquin, eds. Spiders of North America: an Identification Manual. American Arachnology Society.
Coddington, J. A. 2005. Anapidae. pp. 64-65. In D. Ubick, P. E. Cushing, and P. Paquin , eds. Spiders of North America: an Identification Manual. American Arachnology Society.
Coddington, J. A., G. Giribet, M. S. Harvey, L. Prendini, and D. E. Walter. 2004. Arachnida. pp. 296-318. In Cracraft, J. and M. J. Donoghue , eds. Assembling the Tree of Life. Oxford University Press. New York.
Arnedo, M. A. , J. A. Coddington, I. Agnarsson, and R. G. Gillespie. 2004. From a Comb to a Tree: Phylogenetic Relationships of the Comb-footed Spiders (Araneae, Theridiidae) Inferred from Nuclear and Mitochondrial Genes. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 31: 225-245.
Scharff, N., J. A. Coddington, C. E. Griswold, G. Hormiga, and P. de Place Bjorn. 2003. When to Quit? Esitmating Spider Species Richness in a Northern European Deciduous Forest. Journal of Arachnology. 31: 210-246.
Sorensen, L. L., J. A. Coddington, C. E. Griswold, G. Hormiga, and P. de Place Bjorn. 2002. Inventorying and Estimating Sub-Canopy Spider Diversity using Semi-Quantitative Sampling Methods in an Afromontane Forest. Environmental Entomology. 31(2): 319-330.
Longino, J. I., J. A. Coddington, and R. K. Colwell. 2002. The Ant Fauna of a Tropical Rainforest: Estimating Species Richness Three Different Ways. Ecology. 83(3): 689-702.
Griswold, C. E., Coddington, J. C., Hormiga, G. and Scharff, N. 1998. Phylogeny of the orb-web building spiders (Araneae, Orbiculariae: Deinopoidea, Araneoidea). Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society. 123: 1-99.
Kress, W. J., W. R. Heyer, P. Acevedo, J. Coddington, D. Cole, T. L. Erwin, B. J. Meggers, M.G. Pogue, R. W. Thorington, R. P. Vari, M. J. Weitzman and S. H.
Weitzman. 1998. Amazonian biodiversity: Assessing conservation priorities with taxonomic data. Biodiversity and Conservation. 7: 1577-1587.
Coddington, J. A., Hormiga, G. and Scharff, N. 1997. Giant female or dwarf male spiders. Nature. 385: 687-688.
