Sparklemuffin peacock spider: The spider with secret iridescent scales that busts a move to win a mate – Livescience.com
This bedazzled arachnid woos its mate with a sexy thrusting dance.
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Name: Sparklemuffin peacock spider (Maratus jactatus)Where it lives: Wondul Range National Park, Queensland, AustraliaWhat it eats: Small insects and arthropodsWhy it’s awesome: These colorful critters don’t just dress to the nines to woo their mate. Males also do a sexy shimmy to dazzle the ladies.Measuring no bigger than 0.2 inches (0.5 centimeters), the sparklemuffin peacock spider is, arguably, one of the cutest spiders around. These jumping spiders were discovered as a new species in 2015.Females are a dull brownish gray but — like their namesake, the peacock — male sparklemuffins pull out all the stops in the outfit department. With their striking red and blue backs, they look similar to kicking peacock spiders (Maratus calcitrans) and fingers peacock spiders (Maratus digitatus).But they have a secret up their sleeve that makes them unique: a small flap on the side of their abdomen that they can extend to show off iridescent blue scales.Get the world’s most fascinating discoveries delivered straight to your inbox.In case their gaudy garb isn’t enough to impress, the males also know how to bust a move. Their Latin name (jactatus) means “rocking” or “jolting” because of the thrusting dance they perform for prospective mates.Related: Surprisingly-bad acting is key to jumping spider’s survivalDuring courtship, males unfold their fan — a flap on their abdomen used in courtship — and tilt it to one side. At the same time, they lift up their third leg on the same side, lower it slowly then whip it back up, like someone teasing a dog by dangling its toy just out of reach. This jerking motion makes their whole body waggle around, creating vibrations that the female can sense through the ground.”When [the male] got within a few centimeters of the female, he exploded into a firework of activity,” entomologist Jürgen Otto, who wrote the paper describing the species and runs the website Peacock Spider, previously told Live Science.—Bold jumping spiders can literally go blind with hunger —Diving bell spider: The only aquatic arachnid that creates a web underwater to live in —What is the deadliest spider in the world? | Live ScienceThe species was discovered by a graduate student called Madeline Girard who nicknamed it “sparklemuffin.” She discovered another species at the same time and gave it the moniker “Skeletorus” because of its striking black and white markings that look like a Halloween skeleton costume.Otto believes there could still be many more species of peacock spider out there. “Despite the large number of species we have discovered just in the last few years, I can’t help feeling that we may have just scratched the surface of this most exciting group of spiders,” he said, “and that nature has quite a few more surprises in store.”Editor’s note: This story was updated at 12:40 p.m. ET to correct a measurement conversation. Melissa Hobson is a freelance writer who specializes in marine science, conservation and sustainability, and particularly loves writing about the bizarre behaviors of marine creatures. Melissa has worked for several marine conservation organizations where she soaked up their knowledge and passion for protecting the ocean. A certified Rescue Diver, she gets her scuba fix wherever possible but is too much of a wimp to dive in the UK these days so tends to stick to tropical waters. Her writing has also appeared in National Geographic, the Guardian, the Sunday Times, New Scientist, VICE and more.Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name.Whales: Facts about the largest animals on EarthDolphins: Facts about the intelligent marine mammals that use tools to huntJames Webb telescope spots ‘rogue’ planet with a cake-like atmosphere barrelling through space without a star
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