Details
Maratus volans
The peacock spider is a tiny Australian jumping spider famous for the male's colourful courtship dance. It relies heavily on vision to find both prey and mates.
Map: Ecoregions 2017 © RESOLVE (CC BY 4.0) · Natural Earth (PD)
It lives in Australian grassland, dunes, dry scrub and leaf litter or twigs on the forest floor. The spider is adapted to roaming over the ground.
Adults are about 4-5 mm long. Males carry red, blue and orange abdominal patterns and can raise side flaps, while females are cryptic brown.
Diurnal and visually acute, it stalks prey and leaps to capture it. Males wave legs and the abdomen in a complex display directed at females.
Tiny insects and other spiders are taken. Rather than waiting in a capture web, it searches actively.
During the breeding season, males combine colour, movement and vibration in courtship. Females make small egg sacs and guard the eggs.
Despite its minute size, the species is important in studies of colour signals and sexual selection. It is not dangerous to people.
