Maratus tasmanicus (Otto & Hill, 2013)

Schubert, Joseph, 2019, Maratus occasus, a new peacock spider from Queensland, Australia with a review of the Maratus tasmanicus group (Araneae: Salticidae: Euophryini: Maratus Karsch 1878), Peckhamia 187 (1), pp. 1-10 : 7-8

The Maratus tasmanicus group

The males of each of the species in the M. tasmanicus group can be distinguished from other Maratus species by the presence of large triangular fans with lobate opisthosomal flaps, each flap bearing a large black spot, and by their opisthosomal markings which bear orange tracts of scales on a background of blue to blue-green scales ( Figure 7 ; Otto & Hill, 2017). In addition to these diagnostic characters of species in the M. tasmanicus group, several other characters which are helpful for identification (not all exclusive to the M. tasmanicus group) are shown in Table 1.

Distribution of species in the Maratus tasmanicus group. M. tasmanicus is distributed across the coasts of Victoria and Tasmania and is often associated with coastal succulent vegetation. Previously, Otto & Hill (2013) identified M. australis as M. tasmanicus from a photograph taken by Volker Framenau in 2009, later describing it as a new species after they examined specimens from Esperance ( Otto & Hill, 2016). Similar to M. tasmanicus , M. australis is associated with coastal habitats in southern Australia, while curiously M. occasus sp. nov is only known from inland Queensland, at least 220 geodesic kilometres away from the nearest coastline ( Figures 8-9 ).

Figures

Figure 7. Male peacock spiders of the Maratus tasmanicus group. 1, Maratus australis. Photo by Jürgen Otto. 2, Maratus occasus sp. nov. Photo by Michael Duncan. 3, Maratus tasmanicus.

Figure 8. Known distribution of peacock spiders in the Maratus tasmanicus group.

Figure 9. Habitat of Maratus occasus sp. nov. near Lake Broadwater, Queensland.