editorial
Luis F. de Armas is a world-renowned arachnologist, but he is also an experienced herpetologist, entomologist, oncologist, and myriapodologist (e.g., Figure 2). In an era of academic “specialization,” some may wonder how a colleague can become such an indefatigable polymath, but the answer lies with researchers who knew and worked with Lewis. You’ll know if you ask. His encyclopedic knowledge of the natural world is an ever-present force in his life, coupled with his admirable work ethic and above all his love of collaborating with others. Through his knowledge and collaborative spirit, he accomplished what many of us have not. His career spans more than half a century and has consistently produced more than 500 publications (Pérez-González et al. 2025). Even at the age of 80, Lewis is still actively engaged in research, and his research continues to grow. I can only hope that this remains true for many years to come.
Contributions to Arachnology Luis F. de Armas (born 1945) is one of Latin America’s most respected arachnologists. He is best known for his work on scorpions in Latin America, especially the Caribbean and Mesoamerica. However, we are proceeding with a number of publications on small animals, schizophrenic animals, soliphids, teriphozoans, and canine animals, especially with respect to Cuba and the Dominican Republic, but not exclusively. Given that arachnids are Lewis’s area of ​​expertise, it is within these groups that he focuses not only on taxonomy, but also on ecology, teratology, conservation, zoogeography, and several other fields. It’s not surprising that he was right.
Sherwood, Daniela. (2025). Hombre del renacimiento: Luis F. de Armas’ contributions to arachnology, herpetology, entomology, oncology, and myriapodology. Zootaxa. 5563.42-59. 10.11646/zootaxa.5563.1.5.
