First sighting of a Maratus Australis outside in WA, found on Dakalanta Wildlife Sanctuary. © Shane Graves
Just in time for the spooky season, the Maratus australis, a spider with formidable jumping skills, has been formally recorded for the first time in South Australia. The surprise discovery was made about 900 km north-east of the species’ previously known range.
Shane Graves, an orchid enthusiast, was surveying and photographing various orchids when he spotted the vibrant and distinctive colours of a male Maratus australis’ abdominal flaps. The arachnid was crawling and jumping through mallee bush on Australian Wildlife Conservancy’s (AWC) Dakalanta Wildlife Sanctuary on the traditional lands of the Nauo People – far and away from its last recorded location of Esperance along the southern coast of Western Australia.
“Finding this tiny spider 900 km from its next closest observation is huge,” said Dr Alexandra Ross, AWC Wildlife Ecologist. “It raises a lot of questions around the distribution of this unique species and highlights just how much there still is to learn about its ecology and range.”
Maratus australis was recognised as a distinct species of the Peacock Spider in 2016. Although it is very small, measuring at only 3–5 mm in length, the species can jump up to 40 times its body length, making it one of the more impressive leapers amongst the 6,000 species of jumping spiders.
Males are easily identified thanks to their abdominal flaps that display vibrant colours to attract females during breeding season. Shane was fortunate enough to see the spider’s colours in person, and witness several of its giant jumps.
“I was photographing some orchids that I hadn’t seen on the sanctuary in previous years when I saw something jump within the small clumps of mallee bush,” Shane explained. “I know enough about Peacock Spiders to be able to identify one, but I hadn’t seen one with the incredible colours, particularly the iridescent blue, that just stood out in the shrub.”
“I was able to maintain my distance and observe the little guy for a while, but every time I tried to take a photo, he would just jump away. I managed to get a couple of good pictures that I later shared on a Peacock Spider Facebook page to help identify the species.”
Shane said members of the Facebook group, including administration, were excited by the images for two reasons: the spider was well outside its known range, and its breeding colours had emerged earlier than its counterparts in WA.
“Although it was early spring, it had already started drying up at Dakalanta Wildlife Sanctuary which could explain why the male was displaying his breeding colours early,” Shane said. “Or it could just start breeding sooner in South Australia verse Western Australia.”
While AWC doesn’t regularly monitor arachnids, the ecology team at Dakalanta Wildlife Sanctuary will keep an eye out for the colourful spider in the hopes of building a better understanding of its distribution, population size, and breeding.
For more information on AWC’s work at Dakalanta Wildlife Sanctuary, click here.
Australian Wildlife Conservancy (AWC) is a global leader in conservation, providing hope for Australia’s wildlife with a science-informed, land management partnership model that delivers high impact results. AWC is a national leader in landscape scale conservation land management, reintroductions of threatened species and the establishment of feral cat and fox-free areas. More information can be found at: www.australianwildlife.org
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