''Paiwana'' is a small

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus com ...

of east Asian cellar spiders named after the

Paiwan people The Paiwan () are an indigenous people of Taiwan. They speak the Paiwan language. In 2014, the Paiwan numbered 96,334. This was approximately 17.8% of Taiwan's total indigenous population, making them the second-largest indigenous group. The m ...

. The genus was erected in 2018 for two species transferred from ''

Pholcus ''Pholcus'' is a genus of spiders in the family Pholcidae, with 361 described species as of October 2021. It includes the cellar spider '' P. phalangioides'', often called the "daddy longlegs". This may cause confusion because the name "daddy l ...

'' after a

molecular phylogenetic Molecular phylogenetics () is the branch of phylogeny that analyzes genetic, hereditary molecular differences, predominantly in DNA sequences, to gain information on an organism's evolutionary relationships. From these analyses, it is possible to ...

study of Pholcidae. Males are distinguished by unique sclerotized modifications to the

chelicerae The chelicerae () are the mouthparts of the subphylum Chelicerata, an arthropod group that includes arachnids, horseshoe crabs, and sea spiders. Commonly referred to as "jaws", chelicerae may be shaped as either articulated fangs, or similarly ...

, and females by the unique triangular epigynum shape. it contains only two species, both native to

Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the nort ...

: '' P. chengpoi'' and '' P. pingtung''.

References

Pholcidae genera Spiders of Taiwan {{Pholcidae-stub

See also

References