A performance for life
In the leaf litter and scrublands of eastern Australia, a tiny spider performs one of nature's most bright and high-stakes courtship rituals. The male peacock spider, of the genus Maratus, is often no larger than a grain of rice, measuring just 3 to 5 millimeters in length. Despite his small size, he is one of the most colorful creatures in the arachnid world. His abdomen features a pair of foldable, fan-like flaps covered in microscopic scales. These scales are colored with pigments; many produce iridescent blues, greens, and even ultraviolet hues through structural coloration. complex nanoscale gratings on the scales manipulate light to create colors that shift with the viewing angle.
The male's performance is a multi-modal dance aimed at a discerning and potentially dangerous female. He begins by waving his elongated third pair of legs, which are often decorated with tufts of black and white hairs. Once he has the female's attention, he raises his colorful abdominal fan and begins a complex dance. This dance involves side-to-side shuffling, leg waving, and rapid abdominal vibrations. These vibrations, which include types categorized as "rumble-rumps" and "crunch rolls," are seismic signals that travel through the ground to the female, adding to his complex message. The entire display is a sequence of visual and vibratory signals.