''Parawixia'' is a

genus Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family (taxonomy), family as used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In bino ...

of orb-weaver spiders first described by F. O. Pickard-Cambridge in 1904. Most species are found in the

Neotropics The Neotropical realm is one of the eight biogeographic realms constituting Earth's land surface. Physically, it includes the tropical terrestrial ecoregions of the Americas and the entire South American temperate zone. Definition In biogeog ...

but one species, '' Parawixia dehaani'', is found in

Australasia Australasia is a subregion of Oceania, comprising Australia, New Zealand (overlapping with Polynesia), and sometimes including New Guinea and surrounding islands (overlapping with Melanesia). The term is used in a number of different context ...

and tropical Asia as far west as

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

Natural history

''Parawixia audax'', one of the better known species, makes a large loose web, placing itself either in the center with its head down or in a retreat created from a rolled-leaf. This species builds webs above the ground, but there are likely many more species farther up in the canopy that are rarely collected by usual means. ''

Parawixia bistriata ''Parawixia bistriata'' is a spider species found mainly in South America. It is known to have social foraging behavior. Due to its complex social system, it can live in habitats with various resource levels. Recently, its social behavior has bee ...

'' builds its webs much higher from the ground, frequently found on telephone poles. It is known to be

social Social organisms, including human(s), live collectively in interacting populations. This interaction is considered social whether they are aware of it or not, and whether the exchange is voluntary or not. Etymology The word "social" derives fro ...

, and all individuals in a colony are of the same age and size. During the day, they share a retreat where they cluster together.

Species

it contains thirty-one species: *'' Parawixia acapulco''

Levi Levi ( ; ) was, according to the Book of Genesis, the third of the six sons of Jacob and Leah (Jacob's third son), and the founder of the Israelites, Israelite Tribe of Levi (the Levites, including the Kohanim) and the great-grandfather of Aaron ...

, 1992 – Mexico *'' Parawixia audax'' ( Blackwall, 1863) – Colombia to Argentina *'' Parawixia barbacoas'' Levi, 1992 – Colombia, Ecuador *''

'' (Rengger, 1836) – Brazil, Bolivia, Paraguay, Argentina *'' Parawixia casa'' Levi, 1992 – Colombia *'' Parawixia chubut'' Levi, 2001 – Chile, Argentina *'' Parawixia dehaani'' (

Doleschall Carl Ludwig Doleschall (; ; born 15 July 1827 – died 26 February 1859) was born in Vág-Újhely, Kingdom of Hungary (1526–1867), Kingdom of Hungary, Austrian Empire (now Nové Mesto nad Váhom, Slovakia), as the son of the theologian Michael Do ...

, 1859) – India to Philippines, New Guinea **'' Parawixia d. octopunctigera'' (

Strand Strand or The Strand may refer to: Topography *The flat area of land bordering a body of water, a: ** Beach ** Shoreline * Strand swamp, a type of swamp habitat in Florida Places Africa * Strand, Western Cape, a seaside town in South Africa * ...

, 1911) – Papua New Guinea (New Ireland) **'' Parawixia d. pygituberculata'' (Strand, 1911) – Papua New Guinea (New Ireland), Indonesia (Sulawesi) **'' Parawixia d. quadripunctigera'' (Strand, 1911) – Indonesia (Aru Is.) *'' Parawixia destricta'' (O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1889) – Mexico to Panama *'' Parawixia divisoria'' Levi, 1992 – Ecuador, Peru, Brazil, Bolivia *'' Parawixia guatemalensis'' (O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1889) – Mexico, Guatemala *'' Parawixia honesta'' (O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1899) – Mexico *'' Parawixia hoxaea'' (O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1889) – Guatemala to Panama *'' Parawixia hypocrita'' (O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1889) – Guatemala to Brazil *''

Parawixia inopinata ''Parawixia'' is a genus of orb-weaver spiders first described by F. O. Pickard-Cambridge in 1904. Most species are found in the Neotropics but one species, '' Parawixia dehaani'', is found in Australasia and tropical Asia as far west as India. ...

'' Camargo, 1950 – Brazil *'' Parawixia kochi'' (

Taczanowski Taczanowski (Polish feminine: Taczanowska; plural: Taczanowscy) is the surname of a Polish szlachta (nobility) family from Poznań bearing the Jastrzębiec coat of arms and the motto: ''Plus penser que dire''. They took their name from their ...

, 1873) – Trinidad to Brazil, Guyana, French Guiana *'' Parawixia maldonado'' Levi, 1992 – Peru *'' Parawixia matiapa'' Levi, 1992 – Trinidad, Colombia, Peru, Brazil *'' Parawixia monticola'' (

Keyserling Keyserling is the surname of several members of the noble House of Keyserlingk: * Alexander Keyserling (1815–1891), Russian geologist, paleontologist, botanist and zoologist * Eugen von Keyserling (1833–1889), German arachnologist * Hermann Gr ...

, 1892) – Brazil *'' Parawixia nesophila''

Chamberlin The Chamberlin is an electro-mechanical keyboard instrument that was a precursor to the Mellotron. It was developed and patented by the American inventor Harry Chamberlin from 1949 to 1956, when the first model was introduced. There are several ...

& Ivie, 1936 – Costa Rica, Panama *'' Parawixia ouro'' Levi, 1992 – Peru, Brazil *'' Parawixia porvenir'' Levi, 1992 – Colombia *'' Parawixia rigida'' (O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1889) – Guatemala to Panama *'' Parawixia rimosa'' (Keyserling, 1892) – Costa Rica to Bolivia *'' Parawixia tarapoa'' Levi, 1992 – Ecuador, Peru, Brazil *'' Parawixia tomba'' Levi, 1992 – Peru, Brazil *'' Parawixia tredecimnotata'' F. O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1904 – Mexico to Belize, Greater Antilles *'' Parawixia undulata'' (Keyserling, 1892) – Brazil, Uruguay, Argentina *'' Parawixia velutina'' (Taczanowski, 1878) – Colombia to Argentina

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q648830 Araneidae Araneomorphae genera Spiders of Asia Spiders of Central America Spiders of Mexico Spiders of South America Taxa named by Frederick Octavius Pickard-Cambridge