Maratus gemmifer 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
Maratus
Maratus gemmifer

description: <i>Maratus gemmifer</i>, new species <i>Type specimens</i>. The holotype male (&amp;male; #1), 3 paratype males (&amp;male; #2-4), and 1 paratype female (&amp;female; #1) were collected in <i>Banksia</i> woodland at Karnup Nature Reserve (32.371257°S, 115.827134°E, 8 SEP 2016, coll. D. Knowles). All types will be deposited in the Western Australian Museum, Perth. <i>Etymology</i>. The species group name (<i>gemmifer</i>, Latin, m., adjective, English translation <i>bearing gems</i>) refers to the presence of a bright, iridescent gem-like spot on each lateral flap of the male fan. <i>Diagnosis</i>. Six other species in the <i>mungaich</i> group have a large central black patch on their fan: <i>M. sarahae</i> Waldock 2013, <i>M. karrie</i> Waldock 2013, <i>M. mungaich</i> Waldock 1995, <i>M. madelineae</i> Waldock 2014, <i>M. melindae</i> Waldock 2013 and <i>M. hortorum</i> Waldock 2014. <i>M. sarahae</i> and <i>M. karrie</i> both have a wide central black patch on the fan with a blue transverse line at the center and a large black spot at the center of each flap, therefore cannot easily be confused with <i>M. gemmifer</i>. <i>Maratus madelineae</i> also can be easily distinguished from <i>M. gemmifer</i> by having the large unpaired black patch in a more posterior position. The differences between <i>M. gemmifer</i> and the remaining species are more subtle (Figure 56). <i>Maratus mungaich</i> has a small black spot near the centre of each flap, bordered by another spot of bright, blue-white iridescent scales to the rear, whereas <i>M. gemmifer</i> lacks the small black spot and instead has a larger patch of blue-white iridescent scales in this position. <i>Maratus melindae</i> has no spots at all in that position. <i>Maratus hortorum</i> can be distinguished from <i>M. gemmifer</i> by having two blue spots within the central black patch, a feature that also distinguishes this species from all other species in the <i>mungaich</i> group. <i>M. gemmifer</i> may also be separated from <i>M. melindae corus</i> by its lack of a more pronounced dorsomedial white tract behind the eye region. <i>Description of male</i> (Figures 57-60). Males were 4.7-5.1 mm in length (n=4). The clypeus is dark with long off-white setae projecting forward near the median over the black, glabrous chelicerae. The eye region has a uniform, dense cover of dark orange or red-brown scales. Behind this the carapace is mostly black and glabrous except for the presence of scattered white to off-white scales along a middorsal tract that may extend half-way from the eye region to the rear of the carapace. The sides of the carapace are black and glabrous except for a narrow marginal band of white scales along each side. The PME are closer to the PLE than to the ALE. The pattern of scales that cover the dorsum of the large fan of <i>M. gemmifer</i> resembles that of other members of the <i>mungaich</i> group with respect to the presence of figures comprised of red or orange pigmented scales on a background of blue to blue-green iridescent scales, but also has distinctive features identified previously in the <i>diagnosis</i> (Figure 56). Notably these include the presence of red scales that border the posterior and lateral margins of the central black area of the fan, a relatively large blue spot behind the center of that black area, and a small bright spot of blue-white iridescent scales at the center of each flap. The fan is moderately fringed with black setae, particularly along the anterior margin. The large flaps are black on the underside (Figure 57:6). Below, the opisthosoma is light-brown to brown with a cover of many white to off-white setae (Figure 57:6, Figure 60). White setae surround the black spinnerets. The sternum and labium are black. The coxae and trochanters of the legs are grey or light brown and mostly translucent, covered with many scattered white setae. Legs I and II are shorter than legs III and IV, and legs III are by far the longest. Legs I, II, and IV are brown with a cover of white scales and other setae. Viewed from the front, legs III are decorated with long white setae along most of the length of each femur and off-white to orange or gold setae from the distal femur to the patella and proximal tibia. The posterior side of each femur III is black and glabrous. The tibia and metatarsus of leg III are dark brown and bear dorsal and ventral fringes of long black setae. Each tarsus III is covered with long white setae that extend over the grey setae of the foot pad. The dorsum of each pedipalp has a dense cover of long white setae. Below, the pedipalps are brown or dark brown. The pedipalp resembles that of many other <i>Maratus</i> species, with a shorter pointed apex behind a larger and longer pointed apex of the embolus (Figure 59). <i>Description of female</i> (Figures 61-62). The female paratype is 5.1 mm in length and quite unremarkable without obvious field marks to enable identification to species. The clypeus is light brown and translucent, bearing many long white to off-white setae directed ventromedially over the brown and mostly glabrous chelicerae. The eye region is covered almost uniformly with brown scales except for a dark brown line extending from the middle of the eye region to the rear. Behind the eye region the carapace is black and glabrous on either side of a central tract of off-white scales extending at least halfway to the rear margin. On each side of the carapace a wide band of brown to off-white scales and setae extends from the front to rear below the eyes, but below this the carapace is brown, glabrous, and translucent with no marginal band. The PME are slightly closer to the PLE than to the ALE. The dorsum of the opisthosoma is dark brown with a cover of shorter brown to off-white scales, bordered by an indistinct black line on either side that separates this dark area from the off-white lateral margins and venter. The spinnerets are brown. Legs I and II are shorter and legs III are IV are longer, with legs III slightly longer than legs IV. Legs and pedipalps are brown and covered with scattered white to off-white scales and setae. The epigynum (Figure 62:6) is unremarkable, comprised of a pair of large nearly circular fossae anterior to a pair of large posterior spermathecae. Sclerotized ducts anterior to each spermatheca can be seen behind the posterior part of each fossa. <i>Female display</i>. As previously reported for other <i>Maratus</i> species, this female reared her opisthosoma and extended her legs III in a display that appeared to represent rejection of a male in the vicinity (Figure 61:6-11). <i>Courtship display</i> (Figures 63-66). The display of <i>Maratus gemmifer</i> males is relatively simple but spectacular because of the large size of the fully extended fan. In a fixed position the male will face the female with legs III extended and partly flexed to cradle the elevated and expanded fan. In this position the fan is rotated quickly to one side through ~20°, then returned to a center position about 0.08s later (Figures 65-66). About one second later the fan may be rotated quickly to the opposite side and then returned to the center in the same manner. When stepping from side to side in front of a female, a male may either hold the fan in place, or rotate it from left to right more quickly through a smaller amplitude (amplitude ~10°, rate 8-12/s). When side-stepping the leading leg is generally raised and the trailing leg is lowered. During this display the pedipalps are held in place in front of the chelicerae, and movement of the extended legs III is minimal.
description: Published as part of <i>Otto, Jürgen C. &amp; Hill, David E., 2017, Five new peacock spiders from Western Australia (Araneae: Salticidae: Euophryini: Maratus Karsch 1878), pp. 1-97 in Peckhamia 152 (1)</i> on pages 49-56, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.7172320
description: {"references": ["Waldock, J. M. 2013. A review of the peacock spiders of the Maratus mungaich species-group (Araneae: Salticidae), with descriptions of four new species. Records of the Western Australian Museum 28: 66 - 81.", "Waldock, J. M. 1995. A new species of Maratus from southwestern Australia (Araneae: Salticidae). Records of the Western Australian Museum. Supplement No. 52: 165 - 169.", "Waldock, J. M. 2014. Two new species of peacock spider of the Maratus mungaich species-group (Araneae: Salticidae) from south-western Australia. Records of the Western Australian Museum 29: 149 - 158."]}