Wikipedia:WikiProject Spiders/Article structure

This page represents the opinion of one editor and does not have consensus, either from WP:SPIDERS or wider.

Based partly on the featured article Redback spider, an outline structure for spider articles can be suggested.

One area in which there is considerable variation in existing articles is the order of the Taxonomy and Description sections, which also varies in other articles about organisms. It seems to be agreed that these should be the first two sections, but not what their order should be. The section headings below can be expanded as appropriate.

Taxonomy

Covers the first describer, etymology of the scientific name, classification and phylogeny.

Divisions

For genera and higher ranks, this section includes a subsection listing the divisions, e.g. species for genus articles, genera for family articles. The actual section heading would be "Species", "Genera", etc.

Description

Physical description (i.e. morphology).

Behavior

(Or "Behaviour" depending on the WP:ENGVAR in use.) Life cycle, reproduction, web, and prey capture can be included here.

Distribution and habitat

Distinguish between native and introduced distributions.

Ecology

Interactions with other species, either as predator or prey.

Threats and conservation

Rarely needed for spiders other than tarantulas.

Interaction with humans

Species with medically significant bites would have properly sourced material here; sources must respect WP:MEDRS when medical issues are involved.

Cultural significance

Rarely appropriate for spiders!

References

Output your references here using {{reflist}} or a similar template.

External links

Links to content about the species at other websites such as Wikimedia Commons or BugGuide.

Include a {{taxonbar}} – the section heading is not needed if this is the only content.