SPECIES
Peacock spider
Maratus volans
A tiny Australian spider dances with a brilliantly coloured abdominal fan.
Males perform intricate visual displays during courtship.
These small jumping spiders hunt insects and other tiny arthropods.
Eastern Australian open woodland and suitable ground vegetation.
Where does a peacock spider live?
Eastern Australian open woodland and suitable ground…
Worth knowing
- Adaptation Males perform intricate visual displays during courtship.
- Ecological role These small jumping spiders hunt insects and other tiny arthropods.
- Home Eastern Australian open woodland and suitable ground vegetation.
How it survives
Males perform intricate visual displays during courtship.
A tiny Australian spider dances with a brilliantly coloured abdominal fan.
Why relationships matter
These small jumping spiders hunt insects and other tiny arthropods.
Where it lives
Eastern Australian open woodland and suitable ground vegetation.
Pressures and responses
Loss of fine-scale ground habitat and pesticides.
Maintain varied native groundcover and reduce broad insecticide use.
Sources
- University of Michigan Museum of Zoology — Animal Diversity Web, Maratus volans
- GBIF — Maratus volans accepted taxon
- Australian Museum — Jumping spiders and Maratus volans
- Girard et al 2011 — Multi-modal Courtship in the Peacock Spider
- Girard et al — Female preference for multi-modal courtship in Maratus volans
Records of where it has been seen come live from GBIF; observed interactions from GloBI. Draft — not yet reviewed by a person.