Maratus vultus, Jürgen C. Otto & David E. Hill, 2016

Jürgen C. Otto & David E. Hill, 2016, Seven new peacock spiders from Western Australia and South Australia (Araneae: Salticidae: Euophryini: Maratus), Peckhamia 141 (1), pp. 1-101 : 90-96

Maratus vultus , new specIes

Type specimens. The holotype male (♂ #1) and one paratype male (♂ #2) were collected at Point Ann, Fitzgerald River National Park, WA (34.16954 °S, 119.5794 °E, 17 OCT 2013, coll. J. Otto and D. Knowles, coastal heath). These will be deposited in the Western Australian Museum, Perth.

Etymology. The species group name ( vultus, Latin , m., noun, English translation face or expression) refers to the face-like pattern of setae on the fan of the adult male.

Diagnosis. Male Maratus vultus resemble M. amabilis Karsch 1878 , M. anomalus ( Karsch 1878) and two spiders that are closely related to these but presently unclassified ( Figure 103 ). The outer apex of the embolus of M. vultus , like that of M. anomalus and M. albus , is bifurcated or blunt and wider at the end with two tips. On the carapace males of both M. vultus and M. anomalus have a uniform cover of scales in

the eye region, surrounded by red-brown scales around the eyes, two dorsolateral bands of lighter scales behind the eye region instead of a single median thoracic band, and no marginal band. Both species also have a fan covered with blue to blue-green or purple iridescent scales, bearing a single pair of black spots. Like the male M. albus , the male M. vultus has a cover of long white setae on the lower half of the sides of the carapace, and an abundance of white setae under the anterior eyes. A distinctive orange figure on the posterior fan ( Figure 105 :1-2, 4) distinguishes the male M. vultus . The female M. vultus is presently not known. We place M. vultus with M. albus in the anomalus group of the genus Maratus .

Description of male ( Figures 104-107 ). Males (N=2) ranged from 3.8 to 4.3 mm in length. The carapace is completely black. Long white setae below the anterior eye row project anteromedially above the black and glabrous chelicerae. The eye region is covered with uniform brown scales, surrounded by brighter red-brown or dark orange scales at the front and sides where these scales surround the eyes. Behind the

eye region, on either side, a dorsolateral band of light brown to white scales extends most of the way to the rear of the carapace. The PME are closer to the PLE than to the ALE. The middorsal carapace behind the eye region, and most of the upper half of the carapace on either side, is black and glabrous. There is no marginal band, but the lower half of the carapace on either side is covered loosely with long white scales. The dorsal opisthosomal plate is rounded and sharp-edged but not fringed, covered with iridescent blue to blue-green or purple scales. On this background is a distinctive orange figure toward the front, and a single pair of small black spots toward the rear, bordered by red-orange scales ( Figure 105 :1-2, 4). Although the lateral edges of the fan are distinct, flaps are either small or not present, and lateral expansion of the fan during display is accomplished by flattening out the opisthosoma and the otherwise curved dorsal plate. There is an anterior marginal band of off-white setae, and longer, stout white setae project forward over the pedicel from this. Behind the dorsal plate the dorsal opisthosoma is black, with a patch of white colular setae above the black spinnerets. The sides of the opisthosoma are off-white, and the underside is brown with scattered light setae. The coxae are brown or grey with scattered white setae, and the sternum, labium, and endites are dark brown and glabrous.

Legs I and II are shorter, legs III and IV longer, and legs III by far the longest. Legs I, II, and IV are uniformly covered with white to off-white setae, with indistinct dark rings where these are absent at the joints. On legs III the front of each femur is covered with white to off-white setae, while each patella, tibia, and dorsal metatarsus is dark brown to black with black setae. The ventral metatarsus to tarsus of each

leg III is covered with long, bright white setae. From the front (dorsal aspect) the pedipalps are covered with long, bright white setae. The structure of the pedipalp ( Figure 106 ) is typical for Maratus in most aspects, but the outer apex of the embolus is wide and blunt or bifurcated at the end, a feature also observed in M. anomalus ( Żabka 1987, Otto & Hill 2012) and M. albus .

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Courtship display. When placed with a female Maratus fimbriatus , male M. vultus raised their opisthosoma and extended legs III in a 'V' shape, and their pedipalps were held together in front of the chelicerae ( Figure 108 ). Little movement was associated with this display, mostly occasional flexing and extending of the legs, included flexion at the femuro-patellar and tibio-metatarsal joints when the spider was

stepping from side to side.

Habitat and distribution ( Figure 109 , for map see Figure 1 ). Presently Maratus vultus is known from the type locality at Point Ann in Fitzgerald River National Park, WA and from Esperance, WA, where it has been photographed (photograph supplied by David Knowles) but not collected.

Figures

Figure 1. Localities for seven new Maratus species from the southern coast of Western Australia and South Australia. Maratus albus and M. lobatus are widely distributed. M. australis and M. vultus are each known from two localities near the southern coast of Western Australia. Each of the other three species (M. bubo, M. tessellatus, and M. vespa) has been found at a single locality in the southwestern corner of Australia, south of Perth.

FIgure 103. Comparison of male Maratus vultus (1 - 3) with other male Maratus. 4, M. amabilis from Mt. Kaputar NP, NSW. 5, M. cf. amabilis from Barrington Tops NP, NSW. 6 - 8, M. anomalus from Ku-ring-gai Chase NP, NSW. 9 - 11, M. cf. anomalus from Warby-Ovens NP, Victoria.

FIgure 104. Two male Maratus vultus (types).

FIgure 105. Living male Maratus vultus. 1, Expanded fan during display. 2, 4, Detail of dorsal opisthosoma from the rear. 3, Rear view of opisthosoma, showing small median tract of white scales behind and below the dorsal plate, continuous with a small triangular, colular patch of white scales, above the black spinnerets. 5, Ventral view.

FIgure 106. Medial to lateral views of the left pedipalp of two male Maratus vultus (types) in alcohol. In a lateral view (5, 10), bifurcation of the wide tip of the outer apex of the embolus can be seen. The inner apex is much shorter, smaller, and sharply pointed. This configuration is characteristic of the anomalus group.

FIgure 108. Display positions of a male Maratus vultus (♂ # 1, holotype) in front of a female Maratus fimbriatus.

FIgure 109. Habitat of Maratus vultus at Point Ann.