Maratus julianneae Baehr & Whyte

Baehr, Barbara C. & Whyte, Robert, 2016, The Peacock Spiders (Araneae: Salticidae: Maratus) of the Queensland Museum, including six new species, Zootaxa 4154 (5), pp. 501-525 : 511

Maratus julianneae Baehr & Whyte , sp. nov.

( FIGURES 7 B, E, H, 8A‒N, 9)

Material examined. MALE HOLOTYPE (QM-S96325) from Australia, Queensland, Bush Blitz, Carnarvon Station Tussock grass with Silver-leaved Ironbark ( Eucalyptus melanophloia ), 783 m, 24°45’S, 147°44’E, 783 m, B. Baehr, 9‒16 Oct. 2014, hand coll . PARATYPES: 1 male (QM-S96326), same data as holotype, pitfall ; 1 male (QM- S96327 ), Bush Blitz, Carnarvon Station Lyons Rd., Callitris grass, Cycad , 24°50’S, 147°45’E, 884 m, C. Lambkin, 8‒9 Oct. 2014, yellow pans ; 1 male (QM-S96328), same as previous, C. Lambkin, N. Starick, B. Hawkins, 13 Oct. 2014, hand coll.

Etymology. The specific name is a patronym in honour of Julianne Waldock, for her contributions to Maratus systematics over more than two decades. She also provided excellent support for Madeline Girard in finding Maratus localities.

Diagnosis. This species belongs to the Maratus anomalus group, sharing a pair of large patches of white setae on the posterior sides of the prosoma, with an embolic disc which has a smooth narrow front with a retrobasal knee-shaped structure and a long narrow embolic tip with the embolic opening at the posterior distal part and a thin semicircular lateral process of embolic disc with a narrow retrolateral fold.

Maratus julianneae can be separated from M. michaelorum and M. anomalus by the pattern of the opisothosoma. M. michaelorum has a pattern of a heart-shaped circle and two elongated patches of golden orange setae in the centre and M. anomalus has a completely bluish iridescent opisthosoma, whereas Maratus julianneae has a grey-whitish opisthosoma with bluish iridescent sides at the posterior third.

Description. Male (QM-S96325). Total length 4.21. Prosoma 2.05 long, 1.60 wide, pl/pw 1.28; sternum 1.01 long, 0.71 wide, sl/sw 1.42; opisthosoma 2.16 long, 1.56 wide; opisthosoma longer than wide: ol/ow1.38. Ocular quadrangle 0.77 long. Anterior eye row 1.35, posterior eye row 1.49 wide. AME largest; posterior eye group width 0.97 of caput width; AME 0.40; ALE 0.24; PME 0.19; PLE 0.06; AME‒AME 0.05; AME‒ALE 0.05; PME‒PME 1.30; PME‒PLE 0.18; ALE‒PLE 0.29. Clypeus 0.22 high. Paturon with no promarginal teeth and one retromarginal tooth. Length of leg III, femur: 1.65, patella: 0.71, tibia: 0.99, metatarsus: 0.73, tarsus: 0.58, length of metatarsus III 0.74 the length of tibia III. Leg formula: 3421. Dorsal part of the prosoma dark brown, sides pale with dark reticular pattern, margin black. Ocular quadrangle covered with white setae. Front and half of the sides covered with golden setae. Posterior sites of the prosoma with large patches of white setae. Endites, labium and chelicerae pale with dark markings, sternum pale; opisthosoma pale, dotted with black and with one larger pair of black dots posteriorly, sparsely covered with longer black setae and white setae, bluish iridescent at posterior 1/3 of the opisthosoma lateraly. Lateral shoulders with longer white setae, venter pale. Male palp ( Figs 7 B, E, H, 8H‒N): cymbium short, 1.6 times longer than wide, covered with long black setae, tip stout with distal scopula. Embolic disc as wide as long with smooth rim and no tooth-like projections centrally, embolus with narrow v-shaped tip, opening at the posterior part ( Fig. 7 E); lateral process of embolic disc a long semicircular spur fitting into the retrolateral groove of the embolus ( Fig. 7 H); tegular shoulder with cone-shaped lamella (LTS); retrobasal tegular lobe (TL) with narrow tip both sides concave ( Fig. 8 J); tibia about as long as wide, prolaterally with long white setae covering 2/3 of the cymbium; retrolateral tibial apophysis (RTA) triangular ( Fig. 8 K).

Female. Unknown

Distribution. Known only from Carnarvon Station in central Queensland.

Figures

FIGURE 7 (A ‒ I). Maratus anomalus group males: A, D, G, M. anomalus (Karsch, 1878) (QM-S 56273); B, E, H, M. julianneae Baehr & Whyte, sp. nov. holotype (QM-S 96325); C, F, I, Maratus michaelorum Baehr & Whyte, sp. nov. holotype (QM- S 80074); A ‒ C, palpal tip with embolic disc; D ‒ F, embolic disc frontal view; G ‒ I, palpal tip retrolateral view, with retrolateral groove at embolic tip and semicircular lateral process of embolic disc.

FIGURE 8 (A ‒ N). Maratus julianneae Baehr & Whyte, sp. nov. male holotype (QM-S 96325). A, D, E, live images (photos: Robert Whyte); A, B, habitus, dorsal view; C, habitus, ventral view; D, prosoma, anterior view; E, habitus, lateral view; F, opisthosoma frontal view; G, right III leg, prolateral view; H, I, male palp, prolateral view; J, same, ventral view; K, same, retrolateral view; L, embolic disc, prolateral view; M, same, ventral view; N, same, retolateral view.