Maratus ottoi Baehr & Whyte, sp. nov.

Maratus ottoi Baehr & Whyte, sp. nov.

(FIGURES 11 B, E, H, 13A‒I)

Material examined. MALE HOLOTYPE (QM-S96332) from Australia, south-east Queensland, Venman Bushland National Park, 27°37’S, 153°12’E, M. Doe, 10 Nov. 2015. ALLOTYPE: 1 female (QM-S96333), same data as previous, M. Duncan. PARATYPE: 1female (QM-S96334), same data as previous; 1 male (QM-S35068), south-east Queensland, Rochdale State Forest, 27°37’S, 153°09’E, V. Davies, R. Raven, 6 Sep. 1979.

Remarks. Maratus ottoi was known from black and white drawings in a publication by Davies & Żabka (1989: 237, fig. 40), based on a male, collected by Val Davies and Robert Raven in 1979 in the Rochedale State Forest (QM-S35068). At that time it was not named. In 2015 live individuals were found by Madeline Girard, Michael Doe and Michael Duncan in the Venman Bushland National Park (QM-S96333, S96334).

Dance: You tube Peacock Spider 15 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=my5AqKpC-Rs).

Etymology. The specific name is a patronym in honour of Dr Jürgen Otto, one of Australia’s most accomplished Maratus experts.

Diagnosis. M. ottoi is closely related to M. eliasi sharing a nearly identical prosomal colour pattern (Figs 12 A, 13A) and a similar embolic disc (Figs 11 A, B). M. ottoi can be separated from M. eliasi by having a different opisthosomal colour pattern with no red posterior markings but an octopus-like pattern anteriorly (this species had the nickname “Mr Octopus”) (Fig. 13 A) with tooth like denticules at the retrocentral part of the embolus (Fig. 11 B) and a slightly rounded embolic tip (Fig. 11 E).

Description. Male (Holotype, QM-S96332). Total length 4.11. Prosoma 2.11 long, 1.74 wide, pl/pw 1.21; sternum 1.00 long, 0.56 wide, sl/sw 1.78; abdomen 2.00 long, 1.40 wide, not inflated. Ocular quadrangle 0.99 long. Anterior eye row 1.53, posterior eye row 1.52 wide. AME largest; posterior eye group width 0.87 of caput width; AME 0.47; ALE 0.28; PME 0.20; PLE 0.08; AME‒AME 0.05; AME‒ALE 0.04; PME‒PME 1.26; PME‒PLE 0.20; ALE‒PLE 0.31. Clypeus 0.16 high. Paturon with two promarginal teeth and one retromarginal tooth. Length of leg III, femur: 1.72, patella: 0.70, tibia: 0.91, metatarsus: 0.87, tarsus: 0.53; metatarsus III 0.94 the length of tibia III. Leg formula: 3421. Prosoma dark brown sides cinnamon with dark reticulation; ocular quadrangle covered with golden setae scattered with white setae, sides with a fringe, and two lateral patches of white setae just behind the PME; AME and ALE dorsally with a fringe of golden setae, ventrally with a fringe of white seatae. Endites, labium, chelicerae and sternum pale with darker reticulation; opisthosoma dark with patterns of bluish iridescent setae forming an “octopus pattern”, with two red lateral arms when seen from the front; venter pale with irregular black dots. Leg I, II, IV pale with darker spots, covered with white setae; leg III: femur medium brown, patella cinnamon, tibia and metatarsus dark brown tarsus white. Male palp (Figs 11 B, E, H, 13G‒I): cymbium short, 1.6 times longer than wide, covered with long white setae; tip stout with distal scopula. Embolic disc wider than long, with smooth flat rim, no longitudinal ridges but tooth-like denticules at the retrocentral part of the embolus; embolus tip with rounded retrolateral ridge, embolus opening at dorsal part of the ridge; (Fig. 11 E); lateral process of embolic disc compact with longitudinal pancake-stack shaped lamellae (Fig. 11 H); tegular shoulder with coneshaped lamella (LTS); retrobasal tegular lobe (TL) with narrow tip only prolateral side strongly concave (Fig. 13 H); retolateral part of patella and tibia covered with long white setae covering 1/2 of the cymbium; retrolateral tibial apophysis narrow, finger-shaped (Fig. 13 I).

Female (Allotype, QM-S96333). Total length 4.54. Prosoma 2.36 long, 1.82 wide, pl/pw 1.30; sternum 0.92 long, 0.58 wide, sl/sw 1.58; abdomen 2.17 long, 1.73 wide; abdomen longer than wide, ol/ow1.56. Ocular quadrangle 0.93 long. Anterior eye row 1.73, posterior eye row 1.70 wide. AME largest; posterior eye group width 0.93 of caput width; AME 0.52; ALE 0.29; PME 0.26; PLE 0.07; AME‒AME 0.05; AME‒ALE 0.05; PME‒PME 1.45; PME‒PLE 0.19; ALE‒PLE 0.20. Clypeus 0.14 high. Paturon with two promarginal teeth and one retromarginal tooth. Prosoma cinnamon with darker reticulation covered with black setae. Ocular quadrangle black, indented at middle; AME and ALE with white fringe. Endites, labium, chelicerae and sternum pale; opisthosoma dark brown with cinnamon sides and inverted v-shaped pattern dorsally; venter pale. Leg I‒IV cinnamon with darker spots. Epigyne (Figs 14 G, H) with large semicircular windows, and a median septum, copulatory opening (CO) close to median septum, primary spermatheca large nearly circular, secondary spermatheca much smaller, circular. Accessory glands at anterior part of secondary spermatheca, fertilisation ducts laterally of primary spermathecae.

Distribution. Known only from the greater Brisbane area in Queensland.