''Taraire'' 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 Polynesian long-jawed orb-weavers. The genus was first described by A. Álvarez-Padilla, R. J. Kallal and Gustavo Hormiga in 2020, and it has only been found in

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

. They build vertical orb webs near forest floors, and can be found resting in the center. The genus name is a reference to

Beilschmiedia tarairi ''Beilschmiedia tarairi'', commonly called taraire, is a tree of the family Lauraceae, endemic to the North Island of New Zealand. It is a common canopy tree in lowland forests north of Auckland, often growing in association with kauri (''Agat ...

, the native New Zealand tree that they are commonly found in. it contains only two species: '' T. oculta'' and '' T. rufolineata'', one newly described and one transferred from ''

Meta Meta (from the Greek μετά, '' meta'', meaning "after" or "beyond") is a prefix meaning "more comprehensive" or "transcending". In modern nomenclature, ''meta''- can also serve as a prefix meaning self-referential, as a field of study or ende ...

''. Though they are closely related to species of '' Tawhai'', their exact relation to other genera in the family is still unclear due to inconclusive phylogenetic analyses.

See also

References

Further reading