This stunning little fellow is a male peacock spider (Maratus plumosus or plumed peacock spider).

You may have seen him, or others from this genus, featured on social media and even the news. Male peacock spiders have multiple claims to fame including their striking colours, their courtship displays and, perhaps less commonly noted, as a terrific example of the contributions amateur naturalists can make to scientific knowledge.

Spotting these spiders is a challenge. I was lamenting with another local field naturalist the day before this sighting that although we both keep an eye out (and see many jumping spiders), neither of us had spotted a male Maratus. Then this!

And they aren’t very big. This one, which falls on the larger end of the peacock spider size scale, is about 5 mm in length … and jumps … so not the easiest critter to photograph. That said, many people have captured inspiring shots, so seek those out if you’re keen to view more.

Who’s a pretty boy then?

These male spiders’ colours are all about gaining the attention of female spiders, just as the ‘peacock’ in their common name suggests. As part of their courtship efforts, males lift their patterned abdomen into the air and wave their extra-long third legs! Different species have different colour and pattern combinations. Some species even have bonus ‘fan’ or other effects, while some have been observed using their display to try to warn off rival males.

Think I better dance now!

What’s more, the males have a display routine, which we might call a dance, and many of their moves would make Michael Jackson proud.

Unfortunately, I didn’t capture any display behaviour during my brief encounter with this one, but if you’re ready to be wowed by the colours and ‘dance moves’ of peacock spiders, click through some of the links below.

Current knowledge of Australian peacock spiders is a terrific example of the contributions of ‘citizen scientists’. Until the 1980s just two species of Aussie Maratus were named and described. Since then it has been on the rise, thanks in part to amateur naturalists, particularly in the last ten years, and now more than 70 are known. And it’s thought there will be more to come.

Likely these spiders are quite common, but as with many other things in nature, firstly you need to get out there (even it’s your garden or an urban space) and secondly you need to be open to seeing them. Although you might think such showy patterns would be easy to spot, it’s also easy to overlook things (particularly at this scale, and if other species are the ones you’re intending to look for!). I’m excited that this appears to be the first record on the Atlas of Living Australia of a Maratus spider on the Nail Can Hill range, however there are existing Maratus records elsewhere in our region.

But wait, is this a female?

Not long after spotting the delightful male, I saw another small jumping spider nearby.

Female Maratus spiders don’t sport the males’ fancy colours and are instead typically browns and greys. (As are juvenile males). This makes them tricky to identify or distinguish from other Maratus species and from jumping spiders more generally.

I added iNaturalist posts for both the male and this second spider nearby and was delighted to have both their identities confirmed! Thanks as well to Duncan Fraser on Twitter who coincidentally shared photos of the same species this week and generously responded to my beginner spider-ID-ing questions.

I can’t wait to see more!

Further reading and watching

• Maratus – the movie! An endearing and inspiring 30 minute documentary about Stuart Harris and Jurgen Otto’s efforts to name and describe a Maratus spider spotted in Canberra. Available on iview: https://iview.abc.net.au/show/maratus

• Dr Jurgen Otto and David Hill publish a handy, recently updated, overview of male peacock spiders (with photos).

• For some incredible videos of the spiders and their display routines visit Jurgen’s YouTube channel or his informative website (plus there are many other peacock spider photos and videos on the internet!).

• Providing a local angle, check out some great local photos of peacock spiders taken by Jodie Kuhne in and around the Chiltern Mt Pilot National Park.

• Have you seen a peacock spider and taken some photos? Join iNaturalist and submit your record to the Australian peacock spider project to contribute your observations, and/or watch other naturalists add theirs!