Maratus flavus Otto &amp; Hill 2018, new species
Creators: name: Otto, Jürgen C.
name: Hill, David E.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2018
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Arachnida
Araneae
Salticidae
Maratus
Maratus flavus

description: <i>Maratus flavus</i>, new species <i>Type specimens</i>. The holotype male (&amp;male; #1) five paratype males (&amp;male; #2-6), and four paratype females (&amp;female; #1-4) were collected in <i>Banksia</i> woodland at Tims Thicket near Dawesville, Western Australia (32.639883°S, 115.6274°E, 20 OCT 2017, coll. J. Otto). Five paratype males (&amp;male; #7-11) and three paratype females (&amp;female; #5-7) were also collected in the same habitat (32.639423°S, 115.627531°E, 7-8 OCT 2017, coll. C. Anderson). All types will be deposited in the Western Australian Museum, Perth. <i>Etymology</i>. The species group name (<i>flavus</i>, Latin, m., adj.), translated as <i>yellow</i> in English, refers to the mustard-yellow colouration of scales that cover the dorsal opisthosomal plate of the male. <i>Diagnosis</i>. Most closely related to <i>Maratus boranup</i> as noted in the description of that species, but males can be readily separated by the pattern of scales on their fan (Figure 2). We place this species in the <i>flavus</i> group with <i>M. boranup</i>. Unlike that species, the male <i>M. flavus</i> does raise his opisthosoma during courtship display, but both species rely greatly on a bilaterally symmetric display of their extended legs III. Females of the two species are very similar and difficult to distinguish. <i>Description of male</i> (Figures 19 -22). The male types are 3.7-4.2 mm in length (n=11). The chelicerae are black and glabrous. The carapace is black, and the clypeus is mostly glabrous except for several off-white setae at the midline. Except at the top the anterior eyes are surrounded by grey scales. The eye region is covered with grey scales that extend below the lateral eyes on either side, interrupted by four prominent red-orange or red-brown stripes, one running to the rear behind each of the anterior eyes. To the rear and sides the carapace is mostly black and glabrous. A variable cover of scattered off-white setae is present on the sides of the carapace and a bright white median band extends to the rear behind the eye region. A band of bright white scales is also present along each lateral margin of the carapace. The PME are closer to the PLE than to the ALE. The dorsal plate of the opisthosoma is subovate, more rectangular at the front and rounded at the rear margin. There are no lateral flaps or fringes except for some longer setae projecting forward at the front. The pattern of scale cover is distinctive, with orange or mustard-yellow scales radiating from a series of black lines or figures, on a background of iridescent scales that are green to yellow, orange, or grey depending on direction. A narrow black transverse line demarcates the rounded rear section of the fan, and on either side this line is surrounded by a small group of dull to bright red-orange scales. Behind the dorsal plate the opisthosoma is black except for a group of off-white setae in front of a small triangular patch of white colular scales. Below this patch the spinnerets are brown to black. The sides of the opisthosoma are black, covered with off-white setae below, and the venter is brown and mostly glabrous with a variable cover of scattered setae and with a darker line extending along its length on either side from the book lungs to the posterior margin. From below, the coxae and proximal femora are light brown to grey with a sparse cover of off-white setae. The sternum, labium, and endites are dark grey and mostly glabrous. Legs I and II are shorter, legs III and IV longer, and legs III by far the longest. From the distal femur to the tarsus legs I, II and IV are brown with scattered white to off-white setae with generally indistinct banding. The anteroventral margin of the femur of each leg III is black. A red-brown dorsal stripe extends from the femur to the tibia of each leg III. The patella III and tibia III bear a fringe of longer white setae. The metatarsus III is fringed on all sides with long black setae, and the tarsus III is covered with bright white setae. Dorsally the pedipalps have a cover of white setae and ventrally they are dark brown. Detailed structures of the pedipalp (Figure 22) are similar to those of other <i>Maratus</i>. A single serration or projection is present on the ventral edge of the outer apex of the embolus (Figure 22:19). <i>Description of female</i> (Figures 23-26). The female types are 4.7-5.3 mm in length (n=7). The chelicerae are light brown, glabrous, and translucent. The carapace is light brown and translucent, except for the eye region and a stripe of dark pigment extending to the rear behind the eye region on either side (Figure 25:1,4,8). Long white to off-white setae extend over the clypeus, anteromedially below the anterior eyes. The eye region is mostly covered with light brown setae, except for a distinct, darker red-brown stripe running behind each AME. Behind the eye region, a median stripe of off-white setae extends to the rear, surrounded on either side by a wide, dark brown band that is mostly glabrous. On either side below the lateral eyes and on either side of these dark brown bands is a band of off-white setae. Otherwise the sides of the carapace are almost entirely glabrous and translucent, with no lateral marginal bands. The PME are closer to the PLE than to the ALE. The dorsum of the opisthosoma is brown to dark brown, at the front with a cover of scattered off-white setae arranged in three irregular longitudinal bands. The lateral margins of this brown area are marked by a wavy line that separates it from a broad marginal band of off-white setae on either side. Below each marginal band is a dark brown stripe, separating this from the venter which is mottled with small brown spots and covered with shorter off-white setae. A small tuft of white to off-white colular setae is present. From below the coxae, trochanters, proximal femora, sternum, and endites are mostly light brown to brown, translucent, and glabrous. Legs I and II are shorter and of similar length, and legs III and IV are longer, also of similar length. The legs are generally brown and irregularily spotted with dark pigment. The pedipalps are light brown and translucent with a cover of off-white setae. The epigynum (Figure 26) has a pair of relatively large ovate to circular fossae, separated by a septum of variable width. Behind each fossa is a larger, ovate to circular posterior spermatheca. Sclerotized ducts are present anterior to each spermatheca, visible through the ipsilateral fossa. <i>Courtship display</i> (Figures 27-29). The male <i>M. flavus</i> waves his extended and elevated legs III in a mostly bilaterally symmetric manner. High speed video recording (180 fps) has allowed us to time the very fast movement or vibration of these legs, alternately raised and lowered to the side at a rate of ~29-36 cycles/s (Figures 28-29). Legs III are held in a relatively vertical position as they are waved. Like <i>M. boranup</i>, <i>M. flavus</i> males also bob or wave their elevated opisthosoma as they wave legs III, but at a much lower and more irregular rate of ~5-10/s. As with <i>M. boranup</i> pedipalp movement is not part of this display, but in <i>M. flavus</i> each pedipalp is held to the side, exposing the black, glabrous chelicerae to the front in the direction of the courted female. <i>Display by females</i>. As has been reported for other <i>Maratus</i> species (Otto &amp; Hill 2016), female <i>M. flavus</i> display to males by rising on their legs and waving their elevated opisthosoma (Figure 30). They may also extend their legs III during this display. We consider this to represent a display of rejection targeted at a courting male. <i>Habitat</i>. The habitat of <i>M. flavus</i> in the Swan Coastal Plain <i>Banksia</i> woodland of Tims Thicket near Dawesville, just south of Perth, Western Australia is shown in Figure 31. Most of the individuals collected by one of us (J. Otto) were found on small shrubs belonging to the genus <i>Hibbertia</i>, identifiable in Figure 31 by their yellow flowers.
description: Published as part of <i>Otto, Jürgen C. &amp; Hill, David E., 2018, Two new peacock spiders from Western Australia (Araneae: Salticidae: Euophryini: Maratus Karsch 1878), pp. 1-42 in Peckhamia 160 (1)</i> on pages 23-42, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.7170159
description: {"references": ["Otto, J. C. and D. E. Hill. 2016. Seven new peacock spiders from Western Australia and South Australia (Araneae: Salticidae: Euophryini: Maratus). Peckhamia 141.1: 1 - 101."]}