Michael G. Rix

• Ph.D.
• Principal Scientist and Curator of Arachnology at Queensland Museum

Biodiversity is in rapid decline, but the extent of loss is not well resolved for poorly known groups. We estimate the number of extinctions for Australian non-marine invertebrates since the European colonisation of the continent. Our analyses use a range of approaches, incorporate stated uncertainties and recognise explicit caveats. We use plausib...

Pelican spiders of the genus Austrarchaea Forster & Platnick, 1984 (family Archaeidae) are well represented in the tropical rainforests of central-eastern and north-eastern Queensland, with nine species currently described. However, this monophyleytic tropical fauna remains poorly documented relative to other lineages of Archaeidae from subtropical...

Asymmetrical rates of cladogenesis and extinction abound in the Tree of Life, resulting in numerous minute clades that are dwarfed by larger sister groups. Such taxa are commonly regarded as phylogenetic relicts or "living fossils" when they exhibit an ancient first appearance in the fossil record and prolonged external morphological stasis, partic...

The first species of the Australian spiny trapdoor spider genus Blakistonia Hogg, 1902 to be recorded from Kangaroo Island, South Australia, is described from both males and females, bringing the number of described species of Blakistonia to 21. Blakistonia rooinsula sp. nov. has been recorded from coastal habitats and nearby locations, across a nu...

The open-holed trapdoor spider genus Proshermacha Simon, 1908 is endemic to southern Australia, and currently contains 11 named species. We describe two new species from south-western Australia: Proshermacha telaporta sp. nov. from the Geraldton Sandplains and Swan Coastal Plain bioregions, and Proshermacha robertblosfeldsi sp. nov. from the Warren...

Report to Department of Environment and Science, Queensland Government: Brisbane on Bushfire Recovery in Lamington and Main Range National Parks following Bushfires in 2019 and 2020.

Report to Department of Environment and Science, Queensland Government regarding recovery in Bulburin National Park following bushfires in 2020.

Assessment of effect of bushfires on threatened species in Gondwana Rainforests following 2019-2020 bushfires.

Aname L. Koch, 1873 is an incredibly diverse genus of mygalomorph spiders endemic to Australia, occurring from coast to coast in tropical, semi-arid and arid bioregions. They are relatively gracile mygalomorph spiders that build open burrows, sometimes with a secondary entrance that functions as an escape chute. The genus currently contains 48 spec...

The open-holed trapdoor spider genus Kwonkan Main, 1983 is endemic to Australia, and currently contains nine named species, predominately from south-western Australia. We describe three new species from central Australia: Kwonkan dissitus, sp. nov. and Kwonkan procul, sp. nov. from the Simpson Strzelecki Dunefields bioregion of South Australia, and...

The open-holed trapdoor spider genus Proshermacha Simon, 1908 (Anamidae) currently contains ten species. The genus is known to occur from south-western Western Australia, through southern South Australia and into western Victoria. Here, we describe the first species from semi-arid Western Australia, from Credo Station Reserve and surroundings. Seve...

Simple Summary Blind cave spiders of the genus Troglodiplura are large, enigmatic spiders, which show a number of adaptations to an underground existence, including elongated limbs and a complete lack of eyes. They are known only from the Nullarbor Plain, Australia and prior to this study the species were only known from juveniles or fragments of d...

‘Slow science’ approaches to generating authoritative longitudinal datasets for long-term monitoring are fundamental to conservation biology. Following reports of significant arthropod declines worldwide, and recent climate-driven disasters such as the devastating ‘Black Summer’ bushfires of 2019–2020, there has been a renewed focus on invertebrate...

A new species of giant trapdoor spider, Euoplos dignitas sp. nov.(family Idiopidae), is described from the Brigalow Belt of inland Queensland, Australia. Phylogenetic analysis of a six gene molecular dataset for the tribe Euoplini reveals that this species is sister to the spinnipes-group from eastern Queensland, and unrelated to a morphologically...

Understanding the drivers of morphological convergence requires investigation into its relationship with behavior and niche space, and such investigations in turn provide insights into evolutionary dynamics, functional morphology, and life history. Mygalomorph spiders (trapdoor spiders and their kin) have long been associated with high levels of mo...

The bushfires of late 2019 to early 2020 had extensive ecological impacts across Australia. The most fire-impacted threatened species in Queensland were prioritised for recovery efforts through an expert evaluation process led by the Department of Environment and Science (DES), in collaboration with the Australian Government’s ‘Wildlife and Threate...

Understanding the drivers of morphological convergence requires investigation into its relationship with behavior and niche-space, and such investigations in turn provide insights into evolutionary dynamics, functional morphology, and life history. Mygalomorph spiders (trapdoor spiders and their kin) have long been associated with high levels of ho...

The golden trapdoor spider genus Euoplos Rainbow, 1914 is endemic to Australia, and currently contains 23 species. In eastern Australia, the genus is known to occur from southern Victoria to the Cape York Peninsula of northern Queensland, however, all described species in the genus are from the southern part of this distribution– all species north...

Two new species of pelican spiders (family Archaeidae) are described from rainforest habitats in south-eastern Queensland, Australia Austrarchaea davidi Rix, sp. nov. and A. laidlawae Rix, sp. nov. and the female of A. clyneae Rix & Harvey, 2011 is described for the first time. Phylogenetic analysis of a mitochondrial molecular dataset for the gene...

The third species of the Western Australian endemic trapdoor spider genus Eucyrtops, E. ksenijae sp. nov., is described from south-western Australia. It is presently known from a single location situated near the border of the Avon Wheatbelt and Jarrah Forest bioregions.

The open-holed trapdoor spider genus Aname L. Koch, 1873 is endemic to Australia, and currently contains 46 named species. We describe two new species from southern Australia: Aname elegans sp. nov. from the Gawler bioregion of South Australia and Aname pulchella sp. nov. from the Mallee and Hampton bioregions of southern Western Australia.

Asymmetrical rates of cladogenesis and extinction abound in the Tree of Life, resulting in numerous minute clades that are dwarfed by larger sister groups. Such taxa are commonly regarded as phylogenetic relicts or "living fossils" when they exhibit an ancient first appearance in the fossil record and prolonged external morphological stasis, partic...

The modification of male pedipalps into secondary sexual intromittent organs is one of the hallmark characteristics of spiders, yet understanding the development and evolution of male genitalia across the order remains a challenging prospect. The embolus – the sclerite bearing the efferent spermatic duct or spermophor, and used to deliver sperm dir...

The Australian golden trapdoor spiders of the tribe Euoplini (family Idiopidae) are among the most abundant and diverse of mygalomorph lineages in subtropical eastern Australia. Throughout this highly populated area, species in the monophyletic Euoplos variabilis-group are largely ubiquitous; however, species delimitation has long proven difficult...

The assembly of the Australian arid zone biota has long fascinated biogeographers. Covering over two-thirds of the continent, Australia’s vast arid zone biome is home to a distinctive fauna and flora, including numerous lineages which have diversified since the Eocene. Tracing the origins and speciation history of these arid zone taxa has been an o...

The D'Aguilar Range of subtropical south-eastern Queensland (Australia), harbours an upland rainforest biota characterised by high levels of endemic diversity. Following recent phylogenetic and biogeographic research into the open-holed trapdoor spiders of the genus Namea Raven, 1984 (family Anamidae), remarkable levels of sympatry for a single gen...

The D’Aguilar Range of subtropical south-eastern Queensland (Australia), harbours an upland rainforest biota characterised by high levels of endemic diversity. Following recent phylogenetic and biogeographic research into the open-holed trapdoor spiders of the genus Namea Raven, 1984 (family Anamidae), remarkable levels of sympatry for a single gen...

In the trapdoor spider genus Euoplos Rainbow & Pulleine (tribe Euoplini), it was discovered recently that two divergent lineages occur in sympatry in eastern Australia. This challenged the monogeneric classification of the tribe and, in combination with inadequate taxonomic descriptions of some species, precluded comprehensive taxonomic revision. T...

The tropical and subtropical rainforests of Australia’s eastern mesic zone have given rise to a complex and highly diverse biota. Numerous old endemic, niche-conserved groups persist in the montane rainforests south of Cooktown, where concepts of serial allopatric speciation resulting from the formation of xeric interzones have largely driven our b...

Compared with araneomorph spiders, relatively few mygalomorph spiders have evolved an obligate existence in subterranean habitats. The trapdoor spider genus Troglodiplura Main, 1969 and its sole named species T. lowryi Main, 1969 is endemic to caves on the Nullarbor Plain of southern Australia, and is one of the world’s most troglomorphic mygalomor...

The open-holed trapdoor spiders of the genus Teyl Main, 1975 from the Pilbara bioregion of Western Australia are investigated. A single endemic species from the southern Pilbara, T. heuretes sp. nov., is newly described, representing the northern-most occurrence of the genus in Australia. Legacy molecular data for Australian Nemesiidae, along with...

The white-headed' spiny trapdoor spiders of the Euoplos mcmillani-group are revised, and three new species are described from the biodiversity hotspot of south-western Western Australia: E. cornishi sp. nov., E. kalbarri sp. nov. and E. saplan sp. nov. Two previously described species, E. ballidu (Main, 2000) and E. mcmillani (Main, 2000), are furt...

Within the spiny trapdoor spider genus Euoplos Rainbow exists a group of species from south-eastern Queensland that create unusual ‘palisade’ burrow entrances. Despite their intriguing burrows, the group was only recently circumscribed, and all species within it were undescribed. In this study, by undertaking a molecular phylogenetic analysis of tw...

A combined molecular and morphological approach was used to revise the Australian spiny trapdoor spiders of the genus Blakistonia Hogg. Where possible, our molecular approach used sequence data from the COI barcoding gene, which were analysed using Bayesian, RAxML and neighbour-joining approaches. These molecular data were combined with morphology...

The aganippine spiny trapdoor spiders of the genus Gaius Rainbow, 1914 are revised. Seven new species are described from Western Australia: G. aurora sp. nov., G. austini sp. nov., G. cooperi sp. nov., G. hueyi sp. nov., G. humphreysi sp. nov., G. mainae sp. nov. and G. tealei sp. nov. The type species, G. villosus Rainbow, 1914, is re-illustrated...

Spiders of the nemesiid mygalomorph subfamily Anaminae are common in the Australasian region from rainforests to deserts. Using specimens from all 12 named genera, we evaluated anamine phylogeny and classification using a multi-locus molecular dataset. We combined newly obtained 18S and 28S ribosomal RNA and elongation factor 1 gamma (EF-1γ) sequen...

‘Slow science’ approaches to understanding the ecology, natural history and demography of species have declined over recent decades, despite the critical importance of these studies to conservation biology. With the progression of the Anthropocene, populations of invertebrates are under increasing pressure across the globe, yet few long‐term datase...

The aganippine spiny trapdoor spiders of the genus Bungulla Rix, Main, Raven & Harvey are revised, and 30 new species are described from Western Australia: B. ajana sp. nov., B. aplini sp. nov., B. banksia sp. nov., B. bella sp. nov., B. bidgemia sp. nov., B. biota sp. nov., B. bringo sp. nov., B. burbidgei sp. nov., B. dipsodes sp. nov., B. disrup...

The aganippine shield-backed trapdoor spiders of the monophyletic nigrum -group of Idiosoma Ausserer s. l. are revised, and 15 new species are described from Western Australia and the Eyre Peninsula of South Australia: I.arenaceum Rix & Harvey, sp. n. , I.corrugatum Rix & Harvey, sp. n. , I.clypeatum Rix & Harvey, sp. n. , I.dandaragan Rix & Harvey...

The aganippine spiny trapdoor spiders of the genus Eucanippe Rix, Main, Raven & Harvey, 2017 are revised, and six new species from south-Western Australia's biodiversity hotspot are described: E. absita sp. nov., E. agastachys sp. nov., E. eucla sp. nov., E. mallee sp. nov., E. mouldsi sp. nov., and E. nemestrina sp. nov. Species of Eucanippe are a...

Spiders of the infraorder Mygalomorphae are fast becoming model organisms for the study of biogeography and speciation. However, these spiders can be difficult to study in the absence of fundamental life history information. In particular, their cryptic nature hinders comprehensive sampling, and linking males with conspecific females can be challen...

The spiny trapdoor spiders (Idiopidae) of the Cataxia bolganupensis-group from south-western Australia are revised, and six species are recognized: C. barrettae sp. nov., C. bolganupensis (Main, 1985), C. colesi sp. nov., C. melindae sp. nov., C. sandsorum sp. nov. and C. stirlingi (Main, 1985). All species exhibit extreme short-range endemism, wit...

The spiny trapdoor spiders (Idiopidae) of the Cataxia bolganupensis-group from south-Western Australia are revised, and six species are recognized: C. barrettae sp. nov., C. bolganupensis (Main, 1985), C. colesi sp. nov., C. melindae sp. nov., C. sandsorum sp. nov. and C. stirlingi (Main, 1985). All species exhibit extreme short-range endemism, wit...

The Migidae are a family of austral trapdoor spiders known to show a highly restricted and disjunct distribution pattern. Here, we aim to investigate the phylogeny and historical biogeography of the group, which was previously thought to be vicariant in origin, and examine the biogeographic origins of the genus Moggridgea using a dated multi-gene p...

The formation and spread of the Australian arid zone during the Neogene was a profoundly transformative event in the biogeographic history of Australia, resulting in extinction or range contraction in lineages adapted to mesic habitats, as well as diversification and range expansion in arid-adapted taxa (most of which evolved from mesic ancestors)....

The Arachnida, a class of arthropod animals that includes prominent examples such as spiders, ticks and scorpions (Figure 10.1), comprises some of the most successful biological radiations on Earth. The lineage is extremely ancient and has a fossil record that dates back to the Palaeozoic (Dunlop 2010), but it is also highly diverse, with some 114,...

The Australasian spiny trapdoor spiders of the family Idiopidae (subfamily Arbanitinae) are revised at the generic level, using a multi-locus molecular phylogenetic foundation and comprehensive sampling of all known lineages. We propose a new family- and genus-group classification for the monophyletic Australasian fauna, and recognise 10 genera in...

Earth is currently experiencing the sixth mass extinction of complex multi-cellular life, the first at the hands of a single species. The documented extinctions of iconic (mostly vertebrate and plant) taxa dominate the discourse, while poorly known invertebrate species are disappearing ‘silently’, sometimes without having ever been described. Here,...

The trapdoor spider genus Moggridgea O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1875 is widespread across the Afrotropical region, with a further two species recorded from southern Australia. One of these Australian species, M. tingle Main, 1991 from south-western Australia, has recently been transferred to a separate genus, along with six additional new species. Howev...

The trapdoor spider family Migidae has a classical Gondwanan distribution and is found on all southern continents except the Indian region. The Australian fauna consists of three genera including Moggridgea O. P. Cambridge from south-western Australia and Kangaroo Island, South Australia; Moggridgea is otherwise widespread throughout Africa. The so...

The south-western land division of Western Australia (SWWA), bordering the temperate Southern and Indian Oceans, is the only global biodiversity hotspot recognised in Australia. Renowned for its extraordinary diversity of endemic plants, and for some of the largest and most botanically significant temperate heathlands and woodlands on Earth, SWWA h...

The Pilbara bioregion of Western Australia is an area that contains vast mineral deposits and unique ecosystems. To ensure that mineral deposits are mined with minimal impact on the natural environment, impact assessment surveys are required to determine what fauna and flora species are located within proposed development areas, in particular, by d...

The assassin spiders of the family Archaeidae from tropical north-eastern Queensland are revised, with eight new species described from rainforest habitats of the Wet Tropics bioregion and Mackay-Whitsundays Hinterland: Austrarchaea griswoldi sp. n., Austrarchaea hoskini sp. n., Austrarchaea karenae sp. n., Austrarchaea tealei sp. n., Austrarchaea...

A study of selected species in the nemesiid spider genus Aname L. Koch, 1873 from the Pilbara bioregion of Western Australia was undertaken using molecular and morphological techniques. Bayesian and parsimony analyses of mitochondrial sequence data from the Cytochrome c Oxidase subunit I (COI) gene found evidence for four species, confirming our in...

The Assassin Spiders of the family Archaeidae from southern Australia are revised, with a new genus (Zephyrarchaea gen. n.) and nine new species described from temperate, mesic habitats in southern Victoria, South Australia and south-western Western Australia: Zephyrarchaea austini sp. n., Zephyrarchaea barrettae sp. n., Zephyrarchaea grayi sp. n.,...