Falcatus Aranei

Historical Background
While this may look like a scientific name for a spider, there is no species with this name. In fact, many spiders have falcatus as their species name, not their genus name (Scientific names are written: Genus species). Aranei is a name used for the category of spiders in early taxonomic history (1700s CE) and still seems to be used in Russia and Far East Russia as a categorical name for spiders. Aranei is found in association with the Family Araneidae, the category known as the orb weavers. Falcata is also the name for a Spanish sword. Falcatus Aranei is Latin for "sickled-shaped spiders" (falcatus "sickle-shaped or curved" + aranei "spiders"), but can be interpreted to mean a spider with a sickle-shaped appendage.

It should be noted that there was a species whose common name was Falcatus, but it was an ancient shark. The males of this species had a large sword-like appendage on their head (a modified fin spine). This was not like any shark known in modern times; it grew to a size of only 6 inches. It lived in the warm, continental seas of the Carboniferous Period (359- 299 million years ago), a period in history when sharks exploded in a vast array of diversity. The Falcatus was wiped out in the Permian Mass Extinction (251 mya), the worst extinction event in Earth's history, which wiped out 90-99% of marine species & 70-80% of all terrestrial species.