Jumping spider

Fact Box Species: Maratus griseus (ID as shown below) Family: Salticidae Body length: female: 7 mm male: 7 mm Habitat: Often found on walls of buildings and on tree trunks on warmer days Toxicity: Unknown; not particularly aggressive towards humans but may easily jump into clothing by accident and then bite, producing inflammation and local pain; too small to be dangerous but handle with caution

Another female Another male Another female Underneath male

Note that in the 1880s the same spider collector named two Hypoblemum species: H. villosum and H. albovittatum. Various internet sites mention these as being found widely in Australia and New Zealand and they are reasonably similar in appearance although the available photos for H. albovittatum tended to be rather variable. However, the uncertainty as to the appropriate scientific names for these two species seemed to have been resolved and justified in the following paper: J.C. Otto, D.E. Hill and R. Whyte (2019) Peckhamia 180.1, 1-62. The appropriate name for the spider shown above changed from Hypoblemum albovittatum to Hypoblemum griseum and Hypoblemum (or Lycidas) scutulatus became Hypoblemum scutulatum. Unfortunately, in a 2021 follow-up paper (Peckhamia 148.4, pages 1-35) Otto and Hill indicated that on the basis of further scientific studies the species presented above should now be recognized as Maratus griseus and Hypoblemum becomes Maratus scutulatus.

Known range: Very common on external house and building walls in Darwin, Cairns to Adelaide, Tasmania, and the South-west corner of WA.

Spider(s) with a very similar appearance: There are several other salticid species with similar brown-grey markings and body shape that could be confused with this species.