John Sloan

Whitecourt, Alberta

I'm currently an "older" student at Athabasca University, enrolled in the general science degree program there. I've been interested in spiders for many years and decided I'd like to have some current science under my belt, in order to understand them better. Current projects include identifing the spiders of Alberta, collecting specimens in the Whitecourt area for provincial distribution surveys, and long-term studies of the life histories of some of the lesser-studied spiders. I'm currently focusing on species of the Pityohyphantes genus (Linyphiidae: Linyphiinae). Also, the life history of Theridion impressum (Theridiidae) is another interest.

I'd like to contribute to BugGuide images of Alberta spiders I've identified, mostly species not already in the guide. Since many Alberta species are found throughout Canada and on into the United States, people in other areas will be able to apply the pictures and information to some of their local spiders. Whenever possible I'll include photos of genitalia and other identifying characteristics. For many spiders this is the only sure way to tell one species from another.

I like photographing spiders, but am a beginner when it comes to knowing much about equipment and how to use it. Most of my pictures are taken with an auto-focus, point-and-shoot camera. One of these days I'd like to get a proper lens and flash setup for my digital SLR (Nikon D80) and try to take some better quality shots.

Spiders are, as a group, underphotographed in my opinion. That is, for many species there are realtively few available photos of what the live spider looks like, and even fewer of these photos are of reasonable quality. For this, BugGuide is serving a very important function!