Michael Rix

Research Interests

I am interested in the taxonomy, systematics and evolutionary biology of spiders, arachnids and other terrestrial invertebrates. I am also interested in phylogenetics and cladistic theory, and in the application of molecular techniques to systematics and evolutionary biology. My research focuses on southern-temperate and Australasian micro-spiders in the superfamilies Palpimanoidea and Araneoidea, and I am currently studying the systematics of the Australian 'Assassin Spiders' (family Archaeidae).

Academic Education

• Doctor of Philosophy, 2009, 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 my publications are not available for direct download. Please send me an email if you are interested in a particular publication.)

In press

• 9. Rix, M.G. and Harvey, M.S. (in press) The first pararchaeid spider (Araneae: Pararchaeidae) from New Caledonia, with a discussion on spinneret spigots and egg sac morphology in Ozarchaea. Zootaxa.

2010

• 8. Rix, M.G. and Harvey, M.S. 2010. The spider family Micropholcommatidae (Arachnida, Araneae, Araneoidea): a relimitation and revision at the generic level. ZooKeys 36: 1-321.

2009

• 7. Rix, M.G., Roberts, J.D. and Harvey, M.S. 2009. The spider families Synotaxidae and Malkaridae (Arachnida: Araneae: Araneoidea) in Western Australia. Records of the Western Australian Museum 25: 295-304.

2008

• 6. Rix, M.G. 2008. A new species of Micropholcomma (Araneae: Araneoidea: Micropholcommatidae) from Western Australia. Records of the Western Australian Museum 24: 341-346.
• 5. Rix, M.G., Harvey, M.S. and Roberts, J.D. 2008. Molecular phylogenetics of the spider family Micropholcommatidae (Arachnida: Araneae) using nuclear rRNA genes (18S and 28S). Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 46: 1031-1048.

2006

• 4. Rix, M.G. 2006. Systematics of the Australasian spider family Pararchaeidae (Arachnida, Araneae). Invertebrate Systematics 20: 203-254.

2005

• 3. Rix, M.G. 2005. A review of the Tasmanian species of Pararchaeidae and Holarchaeidae (Arachnida, Araneae). The Journal of Arachnology 33: 135-152.

2003

• 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.

1999

• 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.