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Jotus auripes
A small jumping spider with impressive white fluffy palps and white tipped forelegs, was waving them vigorously towards another spider much further up the grass stem. The other staionary spider seemed to be watching but looked so different. This little male had a very black and shiny cephalo-thorax. There was a second smaller male following the first.
On a large blade of grass within reserve wetland.
Thanks to Atul for the ID. Need a mission for arthropod courting behaviours - the last image is a female! Interestingly many images of this species on the web vary enormously and I suspect there is some mis-identification. None of the other web shots show white palps!? The Atlas of Living Australia lists at least one occurrence of it with 10kms. http://bie.ala.org.au/species/urn:lsid:b...
Thanks Emma :) I was thinking the same and hoping someone would discuss it. He was certainly showing Spring in his body language so maybe he had his courting clothes on.
Chun the link you gave has a species described as being north from Coffs Harbour which is 1500kms north of here. Maybe that's a different one ?
Argybee,there also must be something like "breeding Plumage " in insects as in birds. Birds really look so different in the different plumages they take on thru the year and moults too.
Thanks Chun and Atul. I am amazed at the variation even across 'expert' websites. None show white palps and nearly all show hairy cephalothorax where these 2 males seemed very shiny.