There are several levels of classification of organisms. The level directly above 'genus' is family. The name of a family, for example Salticidae, is always capitalized, but never italicized.

How do we know we have found a new species?
Field researchers surveying the biodiversity of a region are specialists in the organisms they study. They have a good idea of what species they can expect to see, and are able to recognize what may potentially be a new species. When they collect a specimen that may be new to science, researchers bring the specimen back to the research lab for careful examination and comparison with known species.

If the specimen does not belong to a known species, it will be described as a new species. The researcher will publish a paper in a scientific journal that compares the new species with 'type specimens' of known, closely-related species, and describe how the new species differs from the known species. Type specimens are the reference points for describing any species - by definition, they show the characteristics of the species named for them. For every named species, there is a single 'type specimen' in a natural history collection somewhere in the world.

Why are these new species discoveries important?
Each new branch added to the evolutionary tree can help to sharpen our picture of the forces that shaped it. Jumping spiders in Papua New Guinea are remarkably diverse, and studying how this family of spiders generated so many species in a short length of time may help us to understand why some evolutionary lineages are full of species, and others are not.

Discoveries of tiny new species such as spiders may not be, for some, as exciting as a new mammal or bird. However, the smallest organisms often pack the biggest biochemical punch, and we have plenty to learn from them, too. Over millions of years of evolution, tiny creatures have developed a chemical arsenal to subdue their prey and ward off predators, and it is these chemicals that are most promising for the discovery of new medicines.

Of course, it's always exciting to find a new species, another facet of the beauty of the natural world. They are after all, our neighbours on this planet, and if we are to preserve them, we must first know that they exist.

Are spiders insects?
No. Spiders and insects both belong to the phylum Arthropoda (which means 'jointed feet'). All arthropods have an exoskeleton made of chitin (interestingly the same material as fungal cell walls), and jointed appendages. Crustaceans (including crabs, krill, and barnacles) are also arthropods.

Insects make up the most numerous class in phylum Arthropoda. With over a million described species, they are actually the largest group of animals on the planet. Insects are the only arthropods with wings, and most insects have wings at some stage of their development. If it's an arthropod, and it has wings, it's an insect. Insects also have 3 body segments, 6 legs, and a pair of antennae.