This Spider Will Cure Your Arachnophobia

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This Spider Will Cure Your Arachnophobia
By Shay Kamstra

The genusMaratus, otherwise more commonly known as the peacock spider, are smaller than a person’s finger-tip and are arachnids that live in Australia. Maratus speciousushave multicolored abdomens with two, black spots that absorb and reflect light using microlenses. A fascinating fact about these spiders is that 99.965 percent of light is captured by their black spots (Daley, 2019). The microlenses reflect light in random directions which makes the spots appear darker which attracts mates. Also, to attract mates, peacock spiders dance and “wiggle their butts” where the black spots are located which causes female peacock spiders to see surrounding colors as impossibly bright. The male peacock spiders have a certain choreography they perform when ready to breed. 

 (Photo from Drake, 2019)


This mating strategy is rare and not completely understood yet. Many other animals use super black coloration to their advantage such as deep-sea fish and butterflies. However, as far as scientists know, the only animals to use black coloration for mating purposes are the birds of paradise and peacock spiders (Drake, 2019). The super black spots of the male peacock spiders undeniably attract adult female peacock spiders. 

There are many other peacock spiders other than the Maratus speciosus. There are currently seventy-four named species of peacock spiders (peacockspider.org, n.d.). Peacock spiders tend to live around one year, and throughout that time, they go through various moults (peacockspider.org, n.d.). The moults are technically their exoskeleton which the spider leaves behind, like a snake shedding its skin (Schwartz, 2019). Their last moult takes place in the spring, and they are a full adult for around three months before dying at the beginning of summer. The last moult allows for the peacock spiders to have their famous, iridescent colors.

A common characteristic shared by many peacock spiders is the slew of bright colors on the abdomen such as blue, orange, red, and green. Not all peacock spiders possess these colors, though. Some peacock spiders are white and/or brown. Another characteristic of the peacock spider are long bristles on the legs (Zachos, 2016). Many people think they are cute due to their two large, bulgy front eyes, fuzziness, and small size.

Peacock spiders differ from many other spiders because they do not use webs to catch prey. Instead of spinning a web, they stalk their prey very slowly and sneakily, and when their prey is close, the peacock spiders pounce on it. Because of this action, peacock spiders are also known as jumping spiders. They can jump distances over twenty times their body length to catch their prey (Schwartz, 2019). Peacock spiders eat anything that is small enough to fit inside their mouth. This commonly includes arthropods such as flies, grasshoppers, moths, and ants.

Peacock spiders are restricted to the southern half of Australia because the temperatures are ideal in that area. Some species prefer temperate or subtropical areas while others prefer coastal areas or mountain tops. They usually crawl around the ground on small twigs and debris in the morning or afternoon. They tend to go into hiding during midday. Because of their limited distribution, some scientists believe peacock spiders to be endangered. They claim peacock spiders are prone to vulnerability if there are any changes in their environment such as fires, increased or decreased climate, and deforestation. Other scientists are not convinced peacock spiders are endangered because they were only discovered two years ago, and scientists believe many species are yet to be found.

Peacock spiders have been extremely beneficial to humans in teaching individuals about how to reproduce these nanostructures (microlenses) they possess on their abdomen. By figuring out this characteristic, humans can improve solar panel efficiency, military camouflage, and even help remove light pollution from telescopes used by astronomers (Daley, 2019). 

Bibliography
Daley, J. (2019, May 16). A Nanoscale Light Trick Is the Key to Peacock Spiders' Super-Black Spots. Retrieved May 22, 2019, from https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/peacock-spiders-use-nanotech-produce-their-superblack-spots-180972200/
Drake, N. (2019, May 22). How peacock spiders use optical illusions to woo females. Retrieved May 22, 2019, from https://www.msn.com/en-us/lifestyle/lifestyle-buzz/how-peacock-spiders-use-optical-illusions-to-woo-females/ar-AABKtlf
Peacock Spider. (n.d.). Retrieved May 22, 2019, from https://www.peacockspider.org/
Schwartz, A. (2019, May 22). This spider's exoskeleton looks like a helmet for a very tiny alien. Retrieved May 22, 2019, from https://www.popsci.com/peacock-spider-battle-helmet#page-2
Zachos, E. (2016, June 07). Adorable New Peacock Spiders Will Rock Your World. Retrieved May 22, 2019, from https://news.nationalgeographic.com/2016/06/seven-new-peacock-spiders-photos-video-science/

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