15
Sunday, 15 November 2026
Arrival, Registration & Welcome Reception
All day
Delegate Arrival & Registration
Delegate arrival and conference kit distribution.
Evening
Welcome Reception
A warm opening gathering for all delegates.
15–21 November 2026
A week of discovery, exchange and connection
The following programme is tentative and may be updated. Browse each congress day for plenaries, technical sessions, symposia, excursions and social events.
Host cityKochi, Kerala, India
16
Monday, 16 November 2026
Congress Day 1
Morning
Inaugural Ceremony
Plenary Lecture — Charles Haddad
Darkest Africa? Shining light on the spider biodiversity of the world’s most understudied continent
Darkest Africa? Shining light on the spider biodiversity of the world’s most understudied continent
Parallel Technical Sessions
Systematics, Taxonomy & MorphologyEcology & Community InteractionsConservation & BiodiversityAfternoon
Young Arachnologists Plenary – I
Parallel Technical Sessions
BehaviourEvolution & BiogeographyPoster Presentations ISymposium 1
How to make Arachnology collections data accessible for research?
Evening
Russian Party
17
Tuesday, 17 November 2026
Congress Day 2
Morning
Plenary Lectures
Jutta M. Schneider
Dangerous liaisons: causes and consequences of monogynous mating systems
Dangerous liaisons: causes and consequences of monogynous mating systems
Rodrigo Hirata Willemart
The sensory biology of Opiliones, with a comparison with other arachnids
The sensory biology of Opiliones, with a comparison with other arachnids
Parallel Technical Sessions
Genetics & Molecular BiologyEcology & Community InteractionsMedical & Applied ArachnologyAfternoon
Young Arachnologists Plenary – II
Parallel Technical Sessions
BehaviourPhysiology & Functional BiologyPoster Presentations IICongress Photo
Symposium 2
Spatial Orientation in Arachnids: from Mechanisms to Behaviour
Evening
Arachno Olympics & Games Night
18
Wednesday, 18 November 2026
Congress Day 3 – Mid-Congress Excursion
Full day
Official Excursions
Delegates may choose among officially organised excursions including:
Western Ghats Biodiversity ExcursionKerala Backwaters ExperienceEvening
Informal Networking & Free Evening
19
Thursday, 19 November 2026
Congress Day 4
Morning
Plenary Lectures
Siddharth Kulkarni
Ancient gene linkages and ultraconserved elements disentangle recalcitrant branches in Arachnida
Ancient gene linkages and ultraconserved elements disentangle recalcitrant branches in Arachnida
Suresh Benjamin
Chance, Curiosity, and Spiders: Revealing Hidden Diversity in a Tropical Mountain Hotspot
Chance, Curiosity, and Spiders: Revealing Hidden Diversity in a Tropical Mountain Hotspot
Parallel Technical Sessions
Venom, Silk & Functional MaterialsConservation & BiodiversityEmerging Technologies & ModellingAfternoon
Young Arachnologists Plenary – III
Parallel Technical Sessions
Systematics & TaxonomyFunctional MorphologyPoster Presentations IIISymposium 3
Parasitoids and Parasites of Arachnids: Hidden Players in Terrestrial Food Webs
Evening
Congress Dinner & Cultural Programme
20
Friday, 20 November 2026
Congress Day 5
Morning
Plenary Lecture
Xin Xu
Living fossils revisited: Systematics and biogeography of the primitively segmented spiders
Living fossils revisited: Systematics and biogeography of the primitively segmented spiders
Parallel Technical Sessions
Student Oral CompetitionEvolution & BiogeographyGenetics & Molecular BiologyAfternoon
Young Arachnologists Plenary – IV
Parallel Technical Sessions
Student Poster CompetitionEmerging Technologies & ModellingSymposium 4
Arachnid Systematics of the Oriental and Indo-Pacific Regions
ISA General Assembly
Evening
Informal Networking & Free Evening
21
Saturday, 21 November 2026
Congress Day 6 – Valedictory & Departure
Morning
Young Arachnologists Plenary – V
Morning Parallel Technical Sessions
Valedictory Ceremony
- Congress Resolutions
- Future ICA Announcements
- Best Student Oral Presentation Award
- Best Student Poster Award
- Vote of Thanks
Departure
Delegate Departure
Optional post-congress tours.