Maratus linnaei, Waldock, 2008

Otto, Jürgen C. & Hill, David E., 2019, Catalogue of the Australian peacock spiders (Araneae: Salticidae: Euophryini: Maratus, Saratus), version 3, Peckhamia 148 (3), pp. 1-28 : 10

The linnaei group

This group contains three closely related species from the southwestern corner of Western Australia, an area of extraordinary biodiversity. Males lack flaps and rotate their opisthosoma toward one side and then to the other as they display to attentive females at a distance of less than 4 mm. The opisthosoma of Maratus linnaei is more tapered or conical, more cylindrical in M. electricus . The opisthosoma bears a darker central pattern and is truncated at the rear in M. cuspis . This group is most closely related to the vespa group, also endemic to this corner of Australia, but members of that group have prominent, lobate flaps.