California Academy of Sciences Oakland, California
Biodiversity catalogs are an invaluable resource for biological research. Efforts to scientifically document biodiversity have not been evenly applied, either because of charisma or because of ease of study. Spiders are among the most precisely cataloged and diverse invertebrates, having surpassed 50,000 described species globally. The World Spider Catalog presents a unique opportunity to assess the disproportionate documentation of spider diversity and the disproportionate inclusion of who participates in the practice of taxonomic research. This work also serves to inform arachnologists in identifying high-priority taxa and regions for species discovery and highlights the benefits of maintaining open-access taxonomic databases—a necessary step in overcoming bias and documenting the world's biodiversity.