About Maratus volans (O.Pickard-Cambridge, 1874)
Both male and female Maratus volans reach approximately 5 millimeters in body length. Females and immature individuals of both sexes are brown, but have distinct color patterns that allow them to be distinguished from closely related species. Maratus volans is restricted to specific regions of Australia, including Queensland, New South Wales, the Australian Capital Territory, Western Australia, and Tasmania. Unlike other Maratus species that only occupy specialized niche habitats, such as Maratus sarahae, M. volans has a very wide distribution and lives in many different types of environments. Most peacock spiders, including this species, live on the ground and are found among leaf litter or on dry twigs. It is thought that female M. volans mimic leaf scars on dry twigs, and the species can be found in a wide range of habitats, from sand dunes to grasslands. Immature female peacock spiders look similar to adult females, the only difference being that their pedipalps are colorless. Immature male peacock spiders do not develop an opisthosomal fan, a prominent white marginal band on the carapace, or the specialized third legs that adult males have. Male M. volans do not develop their characteristic colors until they reach sexual maturity. The reported lifespan of this species is approximately one year.
