Maratus michaelorum 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 : 511-515

Maratus michaelorum Baehr & Whyte , sp. nov.

( FIGURES 7 C, F, I, 10A‒I)

Material examined. MALE HOLOTYPE (QM-S80074) from Australia, Queensland Moolayember Creek National Park site 3, Ironbark woodland, 25°14’S, 148°37’E, 410 m, Wright , Burwell , 3‒10 Mar. 2006, yellow pan traps.

Records. 1 male, Carnarvon Gorge National Park, 25°03’S, 148°13’E, M. Girard, 19 Oct. 2015, hand coll.

Etymology. The specific name is a patronym in honour of Michael Duncan and Michael Doe, who are experts at finding new members of the Maratus anomalus group mostly in “tussock grass” and who provided excellent live photography for this paper.

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, an embolic disc which has a smooth narrow front with a retrobasal kneeshaped structure and a long narrow embolic tip with the embolic opening at the posterior distal part and a thin semicircular lateral process of the embolic disc with a narrow retrolateral fold.

M. michaelorum can be separated from the other two species in the group by the special embolic tip with an elongated embolic opening ( Figs 7 C, F) and the green bluish colour of the opisthosoma with a pattern of a heartshaped circle and two elongated patches of golden orange setae in the centre ( Fig. 10 A).

Description. Male (Holotype, QM-S80074). Total length 3.85. Prosoma 1.86 long, 1.50 wide, 1.03 high, pl/ pw 1.24; sternum 0.75 long, 0.50 wide, sl/sw 1.50; opisthosoma 1.99 long, 1.37 wide; opisthosoma longer than wide, ol/ow1.45. Ocular quadrangle 0.60 long. Anterior eye row 1.05, posterior eye row 1.17 wide. AME largest; posterior eye group width 0.97 of caput width; AME 0.36; ALE 0.23; PME 0.18; PLE 0.07; AME‒AME 0.04; AME‒ALE 0.05; PME‒PME 1.19; PME‒PLE 0.15; ALE‒PLE 0.19. Clypeus 0.19 high. Paturon with no promarginal teeth and one retromarginal tooth. Length of leg III, femur: 1.57, patella: 0.60, tibia: 0.98, metatarsus: 0.86; length of metatarsus III 0.88 the length of tibia III, tarsus: 0.51. Leg formula: 3 421. Dorsal part of the prosoma dark brown, sides cinnamon with dark reticular pattern, margin black. Ocular quadrangle covered with white setae, sides around ALE with golden setae, clypeus and AME with white fringe, posterior sites of prosoma with large pair of patches of white setae. Endites, labium and chelicerae pale, sternum pale; opisthosoma bluish iridescent with a heart-shaped circle and two elongated patches of golden orange setae in the centre, sparsely covered with longer black setae and with longer white setae at the anterior edge of the opisthosoma; venter pale, dotted with dark spots along the sides and with one patch in front of the spinnerets. Leg III: coxa, trochanter, base and ventral side of femur, metatarsus and tarsus pale; femur, patella and tibia thickly covered with black setae, metatarsus and tarsus covered with a thick layer of white setae. Male palp ( Figs 7 C, F, I, 10G‒I): cymbium short, 1.6 times longer than wide, covered with long black setae, tip stout with distal scopula. Embolic disc wider than long, with smooth, narrow rim, with elongated embolic opening ( Figs 7 F, I); lateral process of embolic disc a long semicircular spur fitting into the retrolateral groove of the embolus; tegular shoulder with cone-shaped lamella (LTS); retrobasal tegular lobe (TL) with broader tip than M. julianneae , tip only prolateral side concave ( Fig. 10 H); Femur, patella and tibia covered prolaterally with long white setae covering 1/2 of the cymbium; retrolateral tibial apophysis triangular ( Fig. 10 I).

Female. Unknown.

Distribution. Known only from Moolayember Creek National Park and Carnarvon Gorge National Park 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 10 (A ‒ I). Maratus michaelorum Baehr & Whyte, sp. nov. male. A, life image male in displaying position (photo: Madeline Girard); B ‒ I, male holotype (QM-S 80074): B, habitus, dorsal view; C, habitus, ventral view; D, prosoma, anterior view; E, habitus, lateral view; F, right III leg, prolateral view; G, male palp, prolateral view; H, same, ventral view; I, same, retrolateral view.