Maratus scutulatus (L. Koch, 1881)

Otto, Jürgen C. & Hill, David E., 2021, Catalogue of the Australian peacock spiders, Peckhamia 148 (4), pp. 1-35 : 21-22

The scutulatus group

Formerly placed in the genus Hypoblemum Peckham & Peckham 1886 , the two species in this group are widely-distributed in the inhabited parts of Australia. Both are usually observed in association with human dwellings (synanthrophic). One species ( M. griseus ) is widely distributed on both islands of New Zealand. Because females are better-known and easy to recognize, we also include their photographs. Previously ( Otto, Hill & Whyte 2019) we recognized the affinity of these spiders to Maratus , as a “basal” group that might represent the early evolution of peacock spiders. This relationship has now been affirmed with the recent DNA study by Girard et al. (2021). The many Australian locality records posted on the Atlas of Living Australia and iNaturalist are shown on each map.

Australasia. Males and females are similar in appearance but can vary considerably in size from locality to locality. The dorsal opisthosoma of the male is covered with shaggy “fur” and the plate or scute typical of Maratus is lacking.