Jotus remus, New Spider Species Found, Plays Peekaboo to Attract Mates

Spiders generally don’t carry hankies. So when a gentleman spider of a newly discovered Australian species wants to get a lady’s attention, he waves the next best thing: his paddles. The male of Jotus remus, a jumping spider about the size of an apple seed, boasts an unusual heart-shaped structure on both of his third legs. (See "Surprise: Jumping Spiders Can See More Colors Than You Can.") In a bizarre ritual, an amorous male hides on the underside of a leaf and thrusts the paddle high enough for a female on the other side of the leaf to see it. The researchers know of no other jumping spider that conducts such a peekaboo courtship—nor of one that has built-in paddles on its legs, according to a study published January 7 in the journal Peckhamia. Study co-author and independent spider expert David Hill has scrutinized a lot of spiders, but this one “is the most amazing one I’ve seen,” he says. “It’s quite a remarkable creature.”read more -http://news.nationalgeographic.com/2016/01/160114-spiders-animals-sex-mating-science-weird-new-species/