Blakistonia birksi is a species of mygalomorph spider in the Idiopidae family. It is endemic to Australia. It was described in 2018 by Australian arachnologists Sophie Harrison, Michael Rix, Mark Harvey and Andrew Austin. The specific epithet birksi honours Nicholas Birks for his assistance in collecting and photographing specimens.[1][2]

Blakistonia birksi
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Subphylum: Chelicerata
Class: Arachnida
Order: Araneae
Infraorder: Mygalomorphae
Family: Idiopidae
Genus: Blakistonia
Species:
B. birksi
Binomial name
Blakistonia birksi

Distribution and habitat

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The species occurs in south-eastern South Australia and western Victoria, in habitats ranging from sandy mallee-heath to sclerophyll forest. The type locality is Ngarkat Conservation Park. It has also been recorded from the Mount Lofty Ranges and the Grampians National Park.[1][2]

References

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  1. ^ a b c Harrison, SE; Rix, MG; Harvey, MS; Austin, AD (2018). "Systematics of the Australian spiny trapdoor spiders of the genus Blakistonia Hogg (Araneae: Idiopidae)". Zootaxa. 4518 (1): 1–76 [31]. doi:10.11646/zootaxa.4518.1.1.
  2. ^ a b "Species Blakistonia birksi Harrison, Rix, Harvey & Austin, 2018". Australian Faunal Directory. Dept of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water, Australia. 2023-02-03. Retrieved 2023-07-23.