Maratus Splendens

''Maratus'' is a spider genus of the family Salticidae (jumping spiders). These spiders are commonly referred to as peacock spiders due to the males' colorful and usually iridescent patterns on the upper surface of the abdomen often enhanced with lateral flaps or bristles, which they display during courtship. Females lack these bright colors, being cryptic in appearance. In at least one species, ''Maratus vespertilio'', the expansion of the flaps also occurs during ritualised contests between males. The male display and courtship dance are complex, involving visual and vibratory signals.

Several species in this genus were earlier classified in the genus ''Saitis'', containing the Mediterranean ''Saitis barbipes'', which is superficially similar to ''Maratus'' (colorful males with an enlarged third pair of legs). ''Saitis'' in Australia have enlarged and fringed third legs which they use for display but do not raise their abdomens like ''Maratus''. All species of ''Maratus'' are found in Australia, with the exception of ''Maratus furvus'' from China. ''M. furvus'' was first described in 1992 in the genus ''Lycidas'', becoming part of ''Maratus'' when ''Lycidas'' was synonymized in 2012. Otto and Hill consider this species cannot be linked to any genus with certainty.

Description

''Maratus'' species are small spiders, with a total body length mostly around 4–5 mm (0.2 in), sometimes smaller, with a high degree of sexual dimorphism. They are known as peacock spiders, based on the peacock-like display of the dorsal (upper) surface of the abdomen (opisthosoma) of the males, on which there is a "plate" or "fan" of usually brightly colored and highly iridescent scales and hairs, often forming patterns in which the foreground colors contrast with the iridescent background. There may in addition be "flaps" or dense fringes of hairs at the sides of the abdomen, sometimes brightly colored. In both sexes, the abdomen is joined to the cephalothorax by a long and very flexible pedicel. This allows males to raise their abdomens, which may also be capable of being flattened and waved from side to side, thus emphasizing the appearance of the dorsal pattern. Not all species have colors that appear bright to human vision; ''Maratus vespertilio'' is relatively cryptically colored, with most iridescence on the lateral flaps. The abdominal display is used in courtship and, in at least one species, also in aggressive interactions with rival males. If the male continues his dance when the female is not interested, she will often attempt to attack, kill, and feed on him; she may also do this after mating (sexual cannibalism). If the female is already mated, then she will appear more aggressive, and less receptive to other males' displays. This can also occur if the female simply was not impressed by the male (less vibrations or less leg waving). She has an anti-receptivity signal that tells males she is not receptive. This serves a function to both the males and females. The males will stop wasting their energy on an unwilling female. The male's display is likely to attract predators, so stopping the performance is likely to protect both the female and male from potential dangers. In almost all species, males have relatively long third legs, often brightly patterned, that are also used in courtship displays. Salticid spiders have excellent vision, with the ability to see in at least two colors: green and ultraviolet (UV). The male display includes vibratory signals in addition to visual ones. At least one species (''Maratus fimbriatus'') displays with its first pair of legs rather than its third pair. Some ''Maratus'' including ''Maratus calcitrans'', ''Maratus digitatus'' and ''Maratus jactatus'' display with greatly enlarged and decorated spinnerets when their abdomen is elevated. One species from Cape Riche, Western Australia, in a region which is something of a hot-spot for ''Maratus'' species, does not use its abdomen in its display at all, instead using a combination of decorated third legs and its bright blue face and fluffy white pedipalps.

Male palpal bulbs are relatively simple in appearance, with a circular embolus, and are rather similar in different species. The palp usually has a simple retrolateral tibial apophysis with a blunt tip.

In contrast to the brightly coloured and distinctive males, females are cryptic or camouflaged in appearance, with mottled patterns of whitish and brownish scales. The epigyne is simple, with a pair of circular "windows" (fossae) to the front and a pair of oval spermathecae to the rear. The long and flexible pedicel allows females to rotate their abdomens by more than 180° during mating.

Mechanisms used in colour production

Male ''Maratus'' species mostly display the brilliantly coloured upper surface of their abdomen, often with extensions and fringes, to the females in courtship dances. Colours are produced by two main methods using scales (or modified hairs). One mechanism uses pigments to produce reds, whites, and creams in barbed scales that help scatter light. To produce blues the spiders use arrays of nanostructures reflecting light of particular wavelengths, in the case of ''Maratus splendens'' a shiny, sometimes violet blue. The nanostructures are embedded in flat, convex, sac-like scales, amplifying reflected light, according to University of Groningen's Doekele Stavenga. This is the only animal where this kind of reflection has been shown. Stavenga compared Maratus colours with patterns on butterfly wings, the colors of flowers, and the feathers of the parotia bird. The blues produced by nanostructures in ''Maratus'' do not fade over time, unlike the normal pigmenting method. Other blue animals, like beetles, are rare but also use nanostructures. Nathan Morehouse of the University of Pittsburgh found ''Maratus volans'' have four different photoreceptors (tetrachromats) allowing them to see red, blue, green, and ultraviolet and also resolve the intricacies of the male's display designs.

Taxonomy

The genus ''Maratus'' was first described by Ferdinand Karsch in 1878. Karsch was a curator at the Museum für Naturkunde, Berlin, and named spiders and other animals from preserved specimens collected by others. He described the species ''Maratus amabilis'', the type of his new genus, on the basis of a single male specimen, whose origin was only recorded as "Australia". His short description mentioned the abdomen being flattened and quadrangular in shape, but otherwise did not refer to the characteristic abdominal "flaps". In a footnote, he also named ''Maratus amoenus'' (now '' M. volans''). in 1987 was the first to restore Karsch's two species of ''Maratus'', and moving more previously described species to the genus in 1991. ''Maratus'' was greatly expanded in the 21st century, both by known species being moved to ''Maratus'' and by the description of new species. Most of the new species have been described by Jürgen C. Otto and David E. Hill.

Otto and Hill suggest that ''Maratus'' is closely related to the genus ''Saitis''. Both are found in Australia, and in both genera the males have elongated third legs and unmodified first legs.

Phylogeny

The relationships among ''Maratus'' and related genera are unclear, and many species await description. Otto and Hill synonymized ''Lycidas'' with ''Maratus'') in 2012 recognising the type species for ''Lycidas'', ''Lycidas anomalus'' was actually a ''Maratus'', thus causing all then named ''Lycidas'' to be subsumed by ''Maratus''. They hypothesize that the remaining genera may be related as shown below:
One molecular phylogenetic study, by Junxia Zhang in 2012, concluded that the seven Australian genera ''Hypoblemum'', ''Jotus'', ''Lycidas'', '' Maileus'', ''Maratus'', ''Saitis'' and ''Prostheclina'' were so closely related that they could all be accommodated in ''Saitis'' but this suggestion has not been carried through to any taxonomic publication. In the ''Saitis'' group, the third leg is longer and the first leg unspecialized. In the ''Jotus'' group the first leg is longer and specialized. In both ''Maratus'' and some ''Hypoblemum'' in the ''Maratus'' group, the abdomen is raised during courtship, but only ''Maratus'' has a colorful dorsal plate.

Species

it contains 113 species:

* '' Maratus albus'' Otto & Hill, 2016 – Western Australia, South Australia
* ''Maratus amabilis'' Karsch, 1878 (type species) – Australia
* '' Maratus ammophilus'' Otto & Hill, 2022 – Western Australia
* ''Maratus anomaliformis'' (Zabka, 1987) – Queensland
* '' Maratus anomalus'' (Karsch, 1878) – Queensland, New South Wales
* '' Maratus aquilus'' Schubert, 2019 – Western Australia
* '' Maratus aurantius'' Otto & Hill, 2017 – New South Wales
* '' Maratus australis'' Otto & Hill, 2016 – Western Australia
* '' Maratus avibus'' Otto & Hill, 2014 – Western Australia
* '' Maratus azureus'' Schubert, 2020 – Western Australia
* '' Maratus banyowla'' Otto & Hill, 2019 – Western Australia
* '' Maratus bitaeniatus'' (Keyserling, 1882) – Australia
* '' Maratus boranup'' Otto & Hill, 2018 – Western Australia
* '' Maratus bubo'' Otto & Hill, 2016 – Western Australia
* '' Maratus caeruleus'' Waldock, 2013 – Western Australia
* '' Maratus calcitrans'' Otto & Hill, 2012 – New South Wales, Australian Capital Territory, Victoria
* '' Maratus candens'' Otto & Hill, 2022 – Western Australia
* ''Maratus chlorophthalmus'' (Simon, 1909) – Western Australia
* '' Maratus chrysomelas'' (Simon, 1909) – Queensland, Western Australia, New South Wales, Victoria
* ''Maratus cinereus'' Otto & Hill, 2017 – Queensland
* '' Maratus clupeatus'' Otto & Hill, 2014 – Western Australia
* '' Maratus combustus'' Schubert, 2019 – Western Australia
* '' Maratus constellatus'' Schubert, 2020 – Western Australia
* ''Maratus cristatus'' Otto & Hill, 2017 – Western Australia
* '' Maratus cuspis'' Otto & Hill, 2019 – Western Australia
* '' Maratus digitatus'' Otto & Hill, 2012 – Queensland, New South Wales
* '' Maratus electricus'' Otto & Hill, 2017 – Western Australia
* '' Maratus elephans'' Otto & Hill, 2015 – New South Wales
* '' Maratus eliasi'' Baehr & Whyte, 2016 – Queensland
* '' Maratus expolitus'' Prasad, 2022 – Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria
* '' Maratus felinus'' Schubert, 2019 – Western Australia
* '' Maratus fimbriatus'' Otto & Hill, 2016 – New South Wales
* '' Maratus flavus'' Otto & Hill, 2018 – Western Australia
* '' Maratus fletcheri'' Waldock, 2020 – Western Australia
* ''Maratus furvus'' (Song & Chai, 1992) – China
* '' Maratus gemmifer'' Otto & Hill, 2017 – Western Australia
* '' Maratus griseus'' (Keyserling, 1882) – Australia, New Zealand
* ''Maratus hakea'' (Otto & Hill, 2017) – Western Australia
* '' Maratus harrisi'' Otto & Hill, 2011 – Australian Capital Territory, Tasmania
* '' Maratus harveryi'' Waldock, 2020 – Western Australia
* '' Maratus hesperus'' (Otto & Hill, 2017) – Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria
* '' Maratus heteropogon'' (Simon, 1909) – Western Australia
* ''Maratus hortorum'' Waldock, 2014 – Western Australia
* '' Maratus icarus'' Otto & Hill, 2019 – Western Australia
* '' Maratus inaquosus'' Schubert, 2020 – Victoria
* '' Maratus jactatus'' Otto & Hill, 2015 – Queensland
* '' Maratus julianneae'' Baehr & Whyte, 2016 – Queensland
* '' Maratus karrie'' Waldock, 2013 – Western Australia
* '' Maratus kiwirrkurra'' Baehr & Whyte, 2016 – Western Australia
* '' Maratus karschi'' (Zabka, 1987) – New South Wales
* '' Maratus kiwirrkurra'' Baehr & Whyte, 2016 – Queensland
* '' Maratus kochi'' (Zabka, 1987) – Australia
* '' Maratus laurenae'' Schubert, 2020 – Western Australia
* '' Maratus lentus'' Otto & Hill, 2017 – New South Wales
* '' Maratus leo'' Otto & Hill, 2014 – South Australia
* '' Maratus linnaei'' Waldock, 2008 – Western Australia
* '' Maratus literatus'' Otto & Hill, 2014 – New South Wales
* '' Maratus lobatus'' Otto & Hill, 2016 – Western Australia, South Australia
* ''Maratus lynx'' Otto & Hill, 2024 – Western Australia
* '' Maratus madelineae'' Waldock, 2014 – Western Australia
* '' Maratus maritimus'' Otto & Hill, 2014 – Western Australia
* '' Maratus melindae'' Waldock, 2013 – Western Australia
** ''Maratus melindae corus'' Otto & Hill, 2017 – Western Australia
* ''Maratus miles'' Otto & Hill, 2024 – Western Australia
* ''Maratus michaelorum'' Baehr & Whyte, 2016 – Queensland
* ''Maratus michaelseni'' (Simon, 1909) – Western Australia
* '' Maratus montanus'' Otto & Hill, 2014 – Western Australia
* ''Maratus mungaich'' Waldock, 1995 – Western Australia
* ''Maratus nambung'' Otto & Hill, 2023 – Western Australia
* '' Maratus nemo'' Schubert, 2021 – South Australia
* '' Maratus neptunus'' Otto & Hill, 2017 – New South Wales
* '' Maratus nigriceps'' (Keyserling, 1882) – Queensland
* ''Maratus nigromaculatus'' (Keyserling, 1883) – Queensland
* '' Maratus nimbus'' Otto & Hill, 2017 – Southern Australia
* '' Maratus noggerup'' Schubert, 2020 – Western Australia
* '' Maratus nubilis'' Otto & Hill, 2022 – Western Australia
* '' Maratus obscurior'' (Simon, 1909) – Western Australia
* '' Maratus occasus'' Schubert, 2019 – Queensland
* '' Maratus ottoi'' Baehr & Whyte, 2016 – Queensland
* ''Maratus pardus'' Otto & Hill, 2014 – Western Australia
* '' Maratus pavonis'' (Dunn, 1947) – Western Australia, New South Wales, Victoria, Tasmania
* '' Maratus personatus'' Otto & Hill, 2015 – Western Australia
* '' Maratus piliger'' (Keyserling, 1882) – Queensland
* '' Maratus pilosus'' (Keyserling, 1882) – Queensland
* '' Maratus pinniger'' Otto & Hill, 2022 – Western Australia
* ''Maratus playa'' Otto & Hill, 2023 – Western Australia, New South Wales, Victoria
* '' Maratus plumosus'' Otto & Hill, 2013 – Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria
* ''Maratus proszynskii'' Waldock, 2015 – Tasmania
* '' Maratus purcellae'' Otto & Hill, 2013 – New South Wales, Australian Capital Territory
* '' Maratus rainbowi'' Roewer, 1951 (replacement name, synonym ''Maratus splendens'') – Western Australia, New South Wales, Victoria
* '' Maratus robinsoni'' Otto & Hill, 2012 – New South Wales
* '' Maratus sagittus'' Schubert & Whyte, 2019 – Queensland
* '' Maratus sapphirus'' Otto & Hill, 2017 – New South Wales
* '' Maratus sarahae'' Waldock, 2013 – Western Australia
* '' Maratus sceletus'' Otto & Hill, 2015 – Queensland
* '' Maratus scutulatus'' (L. Koch, 1881) – Australia. Introduced to New Zealand
* '' Maratus speciosus'' (O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1874) – Western Australia
* '' Maratus speculifer'' (Simon, 1909) – Western Australia
* '' Maratus spicatus'' Otto & Hill, 2012 – Western Australia
* '' Maratus suae'' Schubert, 2020 – Western Australia
* '' Maratus sylvestris'' Otto & Hill, 2019 – New South Wales
* '' Maratus tasmanicus'' Otto & Hill, 2013 – Western Australia, Tasmania
* '' Maratus tessellatus'' Otto & Hill, 2016 – Western Australia
* '' Maratus tiddalik'' Otto & Hill, 2020 – Western Australia
* '' Maratus tortus'' Otto & Hill, 2018 – Western Australia
* '' Maratus trigonus'' Otto & Hill, 2017 – Western Australia
* '' Maratus unicup'' Otto & Hill, 2018 – Western Australia
* '' Maratus velutinus'' Otto & Hill, 2012 – New South Wales
* '' Maratus vespa'' Otto & Hill, 2016 – Western Australia
* ''Maratus vespertilio'' (Simon, 1901) – Australia
* '' Maratus vittatus'' (Keyserling, 1881) – Queensland
* ''Maratus volans'' (O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1874) – Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria
* '' Maratus volpei'' Schubert, 2020 – South Australia
* '' Maratus vultus'' Otto & Hill, 2016 – Western Australia, Victoria
* '' Maratus watagansi'' Otto & Hill, 2013 – New South Wales
* ''Maratus yanchep'' Otto & Hill, 2023 – Western Australia

Nomenclature

Early scientific names mostly used Latin or Greek descriptors, for example the type species ''Maratus amabilis'' (1878) refers to the friendly or pleasant ''Maratus''. ''Maratus volans'' (1874) means the flying ''Maratus'', reflecting the mistaken belief this species (and indeed the genus) could fly by means of its extended abdominal flap. We now know they cannot fly and the flap is used in courtship or (in at least one case) ritualised combat. ''Maratus chrysomelas'' refers to the golden yellow iridescence of the abdomen when viewed at some angles. In 1947 Dunn used the species name ''pavonis'' meaning peacock. Zabka and Waldock continued the tradition of using Latin and Greek in the 1980s and 1990s as did Otto & Hill from 2011 on, also using a patronym for Stuart Harris in the case of '' Maratus harrisi''. As Peacock Spiders became more popular, so did patronyms, with ''Maratus purcellae'' for its discoverer Otto & Hill 2013 and ''Maratus proszynski'' for Jerzy Prószyński Waldock 2015. Common names featured in news media gained traction, particularly with Sparklemuffin for '' Maratus jactatus''. In July 2016, Barbara Baehr and Robert Whyte from the Queensland Museum announced a newly discovered species to be named ''Maratus licunxin'' or ''Maratus licunxini'' after the artistic director of the Queensland Ballet, Li Cunxin and honoured Jürgen Otto with ''Maratus ottoi'', Michael Duncan and Michael Doe with ''Maratus michaelorum'', and Julianne Waldock with ''Maratus julianneae''.

''Maratus splendens'' and ''Maratus rainbowi'' refer to the same, single species, both listed here. Otto & Hill, when describing the female for the first time chose to continue to use Rainbow's ''Maratus splendens'' rather than Roewer's replacement name ''Maratus rainbowi''. While ''Maratus rainbowi'' still appears in a number of on-line catalogs, all published descriptions and studies of this spider to date have used the original name ''Maratus splendens'', the replacement name never having gained currency, and no longer preoccupied.Otto, J. C. & Hill, D. E. (2014d). Peacock spiders of the pavonis group from southern Australia (Araneae: Salticidae: Euophryinae: Maratus). Peckhamia 117.1: 1-62 http://www.wsc.nmbe.ch/species/30569

In 2017 Jurgen Otto and David Hill published a Catalogue of the Australian peacock spiders (Araneae: Salticidae: Euophryini: ''Maratus'', ''Saratus'') in '' Peckhamia'', having also recently erected a new genus for peacock spiders with significantly different genitalia to ''Maratus'', being ''Saratus'' Otto & Hill, 2017. (81 MB file) (loads in 1.5 minutes)

In the catalogue a single species of ''Saratus'' is listed, adult males are shown in photographs, range maps shows areas that have been identified in prior publications, or by unpublished observations and posted photographs that the authors consider reliable.

See also

* Sexual selection in spiders

References

External links

Fascinating courtship/mating video of peacock spider, ''Maratus splendens''
from the journal ''Science''
''Maratus'' OZCAM occurrence data''Maratus'' GBIF occurrence data

''Photos by artist Maria Fernanda Cardoso''
featured in the Guardian

{{Taxonbar, from=Q1995662

Salticidae
Salticidae genera
Spiders of Australia
Spiders of China
Taxa named by Ferdinand Karsch