Saratus hesperus Otto &amp; Hill 2017, new species
Creators: name: Otto, Jürgen C.
name: Hill, David E.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2017
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Arachnida
Araneae
Salticidae
Saratus
Saratus hesperus

description: <i>Saratus hesperus</i>, new species <i>Type specimens.</i> The holotype male (&amp;male; #1) was collected at Canberra, ACT (S35.22818°, E149.19309°, 22 OCT 2013, coll. S. Harris). Paratypes include one male (&amp;male; #2) from Canberra, ACT (S35.22836°, E149.19315°, 21 OCT 2013, coll. S. Harris), two males (&amp;male; #3-4) and one female (&amp;female; #2) from the Namadgi National Park gate south of Canberra, ACT (S35.68806°, E149.08194°, 27 OCT 2013, coll. S. Harris), one female from Canberra, ACT (&amp;female; #5) (S35.22675°, E149.19198°, 29 OCT 2013, coll. S. Harris, M. Girard), and one female (&amp;female; #4) reared from eggs deposited by one of the other two females (&amp;female; # 2 or &amp;female; #5). All types will be deposited in the Australian Museum, Sydney. <i>Etymology</i>. <i>Hesperus</i> (noun in apposition, m.) is the Latin name for the planet Venus as the Morning Star, corresponding to the white to light yellow spot at the centre of the dorsal opisthosoma of this species. <i>Diagnosis</i>. <i>Saratus hesperus</i> is the only known representative of the genus <i>Saratus</i>. Colouration of the adult male (Figures 79-80) is distinctive, with a bright white or light yellow spot at the centre of a dark purple to dark blue or black background (Figure 82), flanked on either side by a light blue margin of the dorsal opisthosoma (fan), in turn flanked on either side by a broad black band. The carapace is black, but the legs are all light yellow. The dorsal opisthosoma of the female is brown, with lateral marginal bands of lighter brown setae outlined with darker brown setae (Figures 86-87). <i>Description of male</i> (Figures 79 -85). Males are 3.4-3.5 mm in length (n=4). The chelicerae, clypeus, and lower carapace, on the sides and to the rear, are black and glabrous. The carapace has no marginal band. The top of the carapace is also black, but bears a cover of scales along the anterior and lateral margins. A band of white scales extends from the top of the carapace behind each PLE to the front of the eye region, but the centre of the eye region is black and glabrous. Below this band there is a band of dull-red scales running below the posterior eyes on either side and through the lower part of the anterior eyes in front (Figure 79: 6). The PME are closer to the PLE than to the AME. The dorsal opisthosoma has a spot comprised of white to light yellow pigmented scales at the centre of a large, nearly rectangular dark purple to dark blue or black figure (Figure 82). The margins are covered with light blue to blue-green iridescent scales. At the front is a wide band of white setae, truncated at each side of the dorsum. Below the dorsum there is a wide black band flanked by a wide white band on either side of the opisthosoma. The ventral opisthosoma has a cover of off-white setae flanked on either side by a black stripe (Figure 81). The posterior lateral spinnerets are white and can be extended during display. The other spinnerets are black. Viewed from below, the coxae of the legs are black and translucent, and the sternum, labium and endites are black. Distal to the coxae the legs are uniform light-yellow in colour, and somewhat translucent. Legs I and II are shorter and about the same length, legs III and IV are longer, and legs III are the longest. Except for the cymbium, which is dark brown, each pedipalp has a dorsal cover of long, bright white setae. The tegulum and RTA of the pedipalp resemble those of <i>Maratus</i>, but the embolus appears only as a short, curved spike above a small process of sclerotized cuticle (Figure 85). <i>Description of female</i> (Figures 86-90). Females are 3.4-4.5 mm in length (n=3). They resemble female <i>Maratus</i> species and when viewed from above they have a uniform brown colouration marked only by a lighter, off-white marginal band that circles the dorsal opisthosoma. The pedipalps are mostly glabrous, light-brown, and translucent with scattered off-white setae. The chelicerae, clypeus, sides, and rear of the carapace are light brown, translucent and mostly glabrous. Longer off-white setae extend anteromedially below the front eyes. The thick lateral rims of the carapace are clearly visible and there are no marginal bands. The dorsal carapace including the eye region and the cuticle underlying the lateral eyes is dark with a relatively uniform cover of light-brown to brown or redbrown setae. This cover is dense in the eye region and sparse behind this. The PME are closer to the PLE than to the ALE. The dorsal opisthosoma is covered with dense light to dark-brown scales or setae, flanked at the front and sides by a more-or-less distinct band of light brown scales or setae. The sides and underside of the opisthosoma are light brown with a covering of off-white scales or setae. The sides of the opisthosoma are mottled with dark brown spots, a feature that is more evident in specimens under alcohol. Below the opisthosoma is mottled with a pair of more-or-less distinct lateral lines, all dark brown (Figure 88). The coxae, sternum, labium and endites are all light-brown and translucent. The legs are uniform in colouration, light-brown to brown and translucent with relatively few setae above and on the sides. Isolated black spots may be present under the proximal or distal ends of each femur. Legs I and II are shorter and about the same length, and legs III-IV are longer, also about the same length. The epigynum of the <i>Saratus hesperus</i> female (Figure 89) differs from <i>Maratus</i> in that the fossae (windows or fenestrae) are poorly defined and the large posterior spermathecae lie almost directly above these (<i>below</i> in the ventral view shown here). Heavily sclerotized ducts can be seen above the anteromedial corners of the spermathecae. <i>Immatures</i>. Emergent (second instar) juveniles have a distinctive set of eight black spots on the dorsal opisthosoma (Figure 91: 1-6). As they mature, these spots gradually disappear or coalesce (Figure 91: 7- 18). The mother of an emergent juvenile pounced on it as if capturing prey, held it for several seconds, and then released it unharmed (Figure 91: 2). This suggests that a female can discriminate between prey and emergent conspecifics, or is able to recognise her own young. <i>Courtship display</i> (Figures 92-96). When courting a female, the male <i>Saratus hesperus</i> alternates between elevation of the fan with extended spinnerets, and sudden extension and vibration of legs III accompanied by depression of the opisthosoma (Figure 94). When the fan is elevated the male may make sudden, interrupted steps to either side, and the pedipalps are raised and held to the side to expose the chelicerae to view from the front. This is "staccato" (not smooth) movement. During the final approach to a female, the male bobs his depressed opisthosoma and rapidly vibrates the outstretched legs I (Figure 95). Females raise and wave their opisthosoma after turning away from a courting male (Figure 96), a display that has been observed in a number of <i>Maratus</i> species (e.g. <i>M. elephans</i>, Figure 14 in Otto &amp; Hill 2015). <i>Distribution and habitat</i>. In addition to the type and paratype localities in the vicinity of Canberra, ACT, <i>Saratus hesperus</i> is widely distributed, ranging from eastern Victoria through eastern New South Wales to the southern border of Queensland (Figure 97). Habitats where this species has been found vary greatly (Figure 98).
description: Published as part of <i>Otto, Jürgen C. &amp; Hill, David E., 2017, Five new peacock spiders from eastern Australia (Araneae: Salticidae: Euophryini: Maratus Karsch 1878 and Saratus, new genus), pp. 1-86 in Peckhamia 147 (1)</i> on pages 70-84, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.7172680
description: {"references": ["Pickard-Cambridge, O. 1874. On some new genera and species of Araneida. The Annals and Magazine of Natural History. Series 4, volume 14, Issue Number 81, Paper 24: 169 - 183, plate XVII.", "Otto, J. C. and D. E. Hill. 2015. Maratus elephans, a new member of the volans group from New South Wales (Araneae: Salticidae: Euophryinae). Peckhamia 123.1: 1 - 19."]}