Brogan L Pett
broganlpett.bsky.social
Brogan L Pett
@broganlpett.bsky.social
Biodiversity scientist / arachnologist at the University of Iceland, Reykjavík.
Proud member of BINCO (www.binco.eu); Research director of SpiDiverse.

1. Arachnologist
2. Systematist, Biogeographer, Community ecologist
3. Classical music, coffee, cheese
One persons chaos is another persons sanctuary.
Argyrodine (Theridiidae) deliveries from around the world keeping me sane 😁 🇲🇾🇮🇩🇱🇦🇰🇭🇦🇺
Rattling through them for upcoming papers.
#spiders #evolution #klepto
November 7, 2025 at 11:47 AM
Fascination with argyrodines ever growing…

new region, starting with specimens from 🇲🇲
October 3, 2025 at 8:34 AM
12 hours later can’t sit in the lab anymore but nearly finished resubmitting the paper 🤓
September 17, 2025 at 5:21 PM
5AM starts mean the big to do list items are done by 09:40 and beautiful sunrises!
Sorting spiders from Guinea Bissau and depositing new sequence data for an accepted manuscript at the same time :)
#Reykjavík #arachnology
September 17, 2025 at 9:41 AM
Reposted by Brogan L Pett
Happy to say the 35th ECA in Zadar has officially started!
August 31, 2025 at 6:12 PM
Reposted by Brogan L Pett
Starting strong with our first plenary speaker: Miquel A. Arnedo 🕸️
September 1, 2025 at 8:15 AM
En route to Zadar 🇭🇷 from Reykjavík 🇮🇸 for the European Congress of Arachnology @35theca2025.bsky.social

Very exciting 😁🕷️🕸️
#research #academia #SpiderLife
August 30, 2025 at 9:07 AM
Three months fieldwork in Madagascar is always great!
Ft. Photo of me finally at Tsingy!!

But the urgent to do list when getting back to the office/lab ☠️
August 26, 2025 at 9:17 AM
My set up at the University of Iceland 😍🕷️ #arachnology #spiders
May 23, 2025 at 6:55 AM
A new species of Tomocyrba (Salticidae) from rainforest in northern Madagascar! What a pretty boy 😍🇲🇬🕷️
#arachnology #spider #taxonomy
May 10, 2025 at 4:32 PM
Looking for kleptoparasitic spiders on the webs of Euprosthenops sheet-web fishing spiders (Pisauridae) in Cantanhez national park, Guinea-Bissau, April 2025.
#arachnology #fieldwork #WestAfrica
April 17, 2025 at 12:31 PM
Cantanhez National Park, Guinea-Bissau 🇬🇼
Catching spiders 🕷️ of course, and observing wild chimpanzees, what a privilege 😍
March 31, 2025 at 2:49 PM
Reposted by Brogan L Pett
“The US spent 8 decades building an international system of rules, norms and values that has produced the longest period of great power peace and global prosperity in human history.” Fareed Zakaria on how upending the world order will only weaken America: www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/202...
Opinion | Trump upending world order will cost America dearly
The decline of American influence is a gift to Russia and China.
www.washingtonpost.com
March 17, 2025 at 11:53 AM
Reposted by Brogan L Pett
Why do we fear some animals more than others? 🕷️🐍🐊

Check out our study in @peopleandnature.bsky.social with @karlzlr.bsky.social on danger and fear in shaping human biophobia. Fear isn’t just danger—social & cultural factors matter!

🔗 besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10....

🌐🧪🌍🦤
March 11, 2025 at 1:18 PM
Reposted by Brogan L Pett
Well played, SNL, well played.

Mike Meyers nails Elon Douche, er, Muskrat, er, whatever.

SNL Cold Open

youtu.be/CUpOMSJ1MdU
Elon Musk Cold Open - SNL
YouTube video by Saturday Night Live
youtu.be
March 2, 2025 at 2:50 PM
We’ve known this for decades, still not improving
"Nearly 94% of species identified as threatened, and thus at direct risk of extinction, received no support."

This is absolutely in no way surprising for anyone who has a passing interest in conservation, but pretty stark when the figures are laid out like this 🧪
www.theguardian.com/environment/...
Most conservation funds go to large vertebrates at expense of ‘neglected’ species
Study shows funding bias towards animals like rhino while other endangered species including amphibians and algae disregarded
www.theguardian.com
February 26, 2025 at 10:17 AM
Reposted by Brogan L Pett
I usually reserve this account for my personal views; but today I want to represent my position as President of @asn-amnat.bsky.social to post a message that will shortly go out to the membership of the American Society of Naturalists from the ASN Executive Council
February 6, 2025 at 4:28 PM
Elliðaárdalur, the beautiful little canyon tucked away only five kilometres from downtown Reykjavík 🇮🇸
January 28, 2025 at 5:15 PM
Reposted by Brogan L Pett
I’m an NSF panel reviewer that was scheduled to meet today. Just got notice that all NSF panels were canceled today. I reviewed some innovative proposals in support of students. Devastating if these scholars don’t get to do this work. For the love of science & students I hope this is just a delay.💔
January 27, 2025 at 2:45 PM
Reposted by Brogan L Pett
There are some discussions about critical situation in taxonomy - very few specialists for some groups of organisms, and none for some others. Sadly, the situation will continue to worsen. Particular causes - current funding policies in science + existing publishing bias. Some details below:
January 21, 2025 at 10:05 AM
Reposted by Brogan L Pett
To the crowds cheering Trump's withdrawal from the Paris Agreement:
Do you think you live on a different planet, which climate breakdown does not affect?
Do you imagine only greens and progressives will be harmed by Earth systems collapse?
Do you believe you can win an argument with physics?
January 21, 2025 at 6:28 AM
Reposted by Brogan L Pett
From Hentz, 1845. This is part of the official initial description of Dolomedes albineus from 180 years ago. I'm not crying! 😥
January 15, 2025 at 4:28 PM
Reposted by Brogan L Pett
Now, I totally don't have favourites...but if I did this species would come close. Feared extinct after fire burnt all of its known range in 2019. Finding this girl during post-fire surveys in an unburnt area of vegetation was like magic.

Kangaroo Island Assassin Spider, Zephyrarchaea austini 🌏🧪
January 15, 2025 at 6:22 AM
Reposted by Brogan L Pett
📣 New preprint! We reconstructed the cave cricket family tree and found the Australian biota have not 1, but >5 independent evolutionary origins. 🇦🇺 is at the centre of a radiation in the S. Hemisphere that began in the Lower Cretaceous ~119 million years ago. 1/ #bugsky

Paper: tinyurl.com/bddev8kn
January 12, 2025 at 10:15 PM
Reposted by Brogan L Pett
Thrilled to see our work covering the evolutionary ecology of ethanol on the cover of the January TREE issue 🎉. Stunning photo by Cyril Ruoso. @cp-trendsecolevo.bsky.social
@kjhockings.bsky.social @uniexecec.bsky.social @exetergses.bsky.social @evol-lab-ex.bsky.social
www.cell.com/trends/ecolo...
January 10, 2025 at 10:27 AM