Peacock Spider

Peacock spider refer to several species of Australian jumping spiders with elaborate mating dances.

They are not poisonous, only mildly venomous, and males are known for their brightly rainbow-colored bodies and ability to dance during their courtship rituals. They can jump about 10 centimeters, or 40 times as far as their bodies are long. They are not known to bite humans. They have a lifespan of approximately one year.

6 Incredible Peacock Spider Facts!

• Peacock spiders can jump as far as 40 times the length of their own bodies.
• Peacock spiders can see the entire light spectrum, including UV.
• Their intricate mating ritual includes dancing while manipulating their abdominal flaps.
• They come in a rainbow of colors.
• They get their name because the males are brightly colored and do a mating dance similar to that of a peacock .
• Females usually only mate once in their lifetime.

Species, Types, and Scientific name

There are 92 known species of Peacock spider, at present, seven of which were only discovered in 2020! The first one was discovered in 1878. This was Maratus karsch. In 2020, researcher Joseph Schubert found the Maratus azureus, Maratus constellatus, Maratus inaquous, Maratus laurenae, Maratus noggerup, Maratus suae, and Maratus volpei. Maratus volans is yet another species. 91 of the known Maratus species are Australian, but there is a single species, Maratus furvus, which is found in China.

Appearance

Most Peacock spiders have a male which has a brightly colored abdomen, whose third legs are elongated and black. The abdomen on the males has a very flexible pedicel which is the narrow stalk which joins a spider’s abdomen to its cephalothorax, which is the term for the combined head and thorax of spiders, as it is fused in most if not all spiders. Both the longer third legs and the flexible abdomen are used during the mating dances. The colors found on the abdomen are also iridescent. In fact, some of the males are not brightly colored and only have the iridescence. The females are typically smaller and brown or gray.

Habitat

These unique spiders are found across the entire southern half of the Australian continent. They live across a wide range of habitats, and because of their hunting habits, many species roam over long distances and different regions. They can be found in grasslands, coastal dunes, scrub forests and desert areas, with some species being more specialized than others and living only on certain mountain tops or under the leaf debris of certain plants.

Diet

Unlike most other spiders, Peacock spiders do not build webs. Their diets consist almost entirely of insects and other spiders. They have excellent vision, allowing them to easily locate prey, which they run after and jump on. They hunt during the day, unlike many other spider species. They can see all the colors of the rainbow spectrum, including ultraviolet light, which makes them excellent hunters. They are not picky eaters and will eat almost any insects or other spiders they can catch, sometimes even prey that is larger than they are. Occasionally, the females will eat the males.

History and Evolution

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Types of Peacock Spiders

• Unusual Peacock Spider – The Maratus anomalus can be found in New South Wales and Queensland, Australia.
• Sparklemuffin – The Maratus jactatus is a jumping spider, and their scientific name comes from a word in Latin translating to rocking which describes their rituals for mating. They can be found in the Wondul Range National Park in southern Queensland, Australia. They are one of the smaller Peacock Spiders.
• Maratus Nigromaculatus – The Maratus nigromaculatus can also be found in Queensland, Australia, and it gets its Latin name from its black spots.
• Common Peacock Spider – The Maratus pavonis can be seen in Western Australia, New South Wales, Victoria and Tasmania, and “pavonis” means “peacock” in Latin.
• Skeletorus – The Maratus sceletus is named because its look resembles that of a skeleton. Males are mostly black with white stripes. You can find these “skeletors” also only in the Wondul Range National Park.
• Coastal Peacock Spider – The Maratus speciosus is located on the coasts of Western Australia around sand dunes. As with all these types of spiders, they incorporate dance into their mating rituals. This particular subspecies expose orange hairs during their dance. These are one of the tiniest spiders in the world!

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