Michael Rix
School of Animal Biology
The University of Western Australia
35 Stirling Highway, Crawley
Western Australia 6009
Australia
Research Interests
I am interested in the taxonomy, systematics and evolutionary biology of spiders, schizomids and other terrestrial invertebrates. I am also interested in phylogenetic and cladistic theory, and in molecular approaches to systematics and evolutionary biology. My current research focuses on south-temperate micro-spiders in the superfamilies Palpimanoidea and Araneoidea, and I am currently studying the systematics of the family Micropholcommatidae. Micropholcommatid spiders are diverse but under-studied in Australasia, and provide an excellent model group for understanding the evolution of 'smallness' in spiders. They are also useful for exploring issues surrounding short-range endemism, cave adaptation and Gondwanan biogeography.
Academic Education
- Currently enrolled in a Ph.D. by Research at The University of Western Australia and The Western Australian Museum
- Bachelor of Science (Honours), 2004, The University of Queensland.
- Bachelor of Science, 2003, The University of Queensland
Publications
(For copyright reasons, pdf-files of the listed publications are not available here for direct download. Please contact me if you are interested in a particular publication.)
- 4. Rix, M.G. 2006. Systematics of the Australasian spider family Pararchaeidae (Arachnida, Araneae). Invertebrate Systematics 20: 203-254.
- 3. Rix, M.G. 2005. A review of the Tasmanian species of Pararchaeidae and Holarchaeidae (Arachnida, Araneae). The Journal of Arachnology 33: 135-152.
- 2. Rix, M.G. 2003. Blastobasine coleophorid moths as prey for the Australian araneid spider Celaenia calotoides Rainbow. Memoirs of the Queensland Museum 49: 28.
- 1. Rix, M.G. 1999. A new genus and species of ant-mimicking jumping spider (Araneae: Salticidae) from southeast Queensland, with notes on its biology. Memoirs of the Queensland Museum 43: 827-832.
