These newly discovered peacock spiders will change your mind about arachnids

Many people would be hesitant to describe arachnids as "cute," but that's probably because they've never laid eyes on a peacock jumping spider.

These Australian jumping spiders are super tiny (only a few millimeters long), but what they lack in size is made up in their naturally flamboyant attitude and style. Although they belong to the genus Maratus, their common name is a reference to the distinctive peacock-like courtship dances performed by the males when they're trying to woo a female, as seen in this compilation video:

The scientist who has led the charge in studying peacock spiders is Sydney-based biologist Jurgen Otto, whom you might remember from his 2015 discovery of Sparklemuffin and Skeletorus. Otto has also identified many other species before and since then, and now he and zoologist David Hill have published two new studies introducing six new species of peacock spiders, plus one new subspecies.

Both papers are published in Peckhamia, a journal "dedicated to research in the biology of jumping spiders." In one, Otto and Hill note that the Maratus genus was named in 1878, but contained only seven species as recently as 2008. Thanks largely to Otto and his colleagues, more than 60 Maratus species are now known to science, including their vibrant colors and their mesmerizing dance moves.

As Otto writes on his Facebook page, he first stumbled across a peacock spider in 2005, and became hooked when he saw it display its colorful flaps. "At the time nobody had observed this behaviour, let alone photographed or filmed it," he writes. "In 2008 I photographed its courtship display for the first time, and this sparked a passion that sustains me to this day. I went on to find many more species, some unknown to science that I am now also naming and describing with my dear friend David Hill. It is my aim to bring as many to your attention as possible."

In that spirit, meet a few recent additions to this spectacular group of spiders:

Maratus gemmifer

This species, discovered at Karnup Nature Reserve in Western Australia, has a "bright, iridescent gem-like spot on each lateral flap of the male fan," according to Otto and Hill. The Latin name gemmifer roughly translates to "bearing gems" in English.

Maratus electricus

Found near the edge of Lake Muir in Western Australia, this species gets its name from the red parallel lines on the fan of the male. As Otto and Hill write, these "resemble electrical connections on an circuit board."
Maratus nimbus

Nimbus comes from a Latin word for cloud. Males of this species have a unique image on their fans like "a group of clouds across the sky at dusk," according to Otto and Hill, who found the spiders in New South Wales and South Australia.

Maratus cristatus
M. cristatus was found near the coastal town of Denmark, Western Australia. Its name — which means "crested" or "tufted" in English — refers to distinctive tufts of long, white setae (hairlike bristles) along the rear edge of the male's fan.

Maratus trigonus

Collected at Mount Lindesay in New South Wales, this species' name — "triangular" in English — was inspired by the triangular shape of the male's extended fan.

Maratus sapphirus