Some spiders can actually be kind of adorable. Others are surprisingly colorful. Male peacock spiders, like the one featured here beginning at 1:15, are both.
They also bear a striking resemblance to Futurama’s John Zoidberg.
The genus encompassing peacock spiders is known as Maratus, and is relatively new to science. First formally described in the 1950s, only a handful of Maratus species have actually been named. According to researcher Jürgen C. Otto, the arachnid featured in the video up top is among those species still lacking a formal scientific designation (he and colleague David Hill have simply taken to calling it “Darlington’s peacock spider”). In light of this, we humbly propose the name Maratus zoidbergi, in recognition of the striking similarities between this spider’s courtship jig, and Dr. Zoidberg’s apology dance:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z9Jj9o_2O_c
Those interested in learning more about M. zoidbergi [name pending], including some gorgeous macrophotographs of the organism, should check out this paper, co-authored by Otto and Hill.
[Peacockspiderman via boingboing via Bug Girl]
