This beautiful peacock spider was only discovered two years ago, but it may just be doing its last dance.

If you notice that the small, strikingly colored spiders perform elaborate courtship dances, you may have just seen a peacock spider for the first time.

New species of peacock spiders are discovered every year. There are currently 113 species. One of the newly discovered species, Maratus yanchep, is only known to occur in a small area of ​​coastal dunes near Yanchep, north of Perth.

As Perth’s suburbs expand further north and south, it means that one problem – the housing crisis – is exacerbating another – the extinction crisis.

The dunes that are home to Maratus Yanchep are just 20 meters from land that is being cleared for a new large estate.

If the species is officially listed as endangered, it may be protected. However, the spider was only described in 2022 and is not on any state or federal endangered species lists. The state government says this means Marathus Yanchep has no protection.

What’s so special about spiders?

Peacock spiders are small. Most bodies are only 4 to 5 mm in diameter. Males only mate during a short period of the year, usually between August and September. Their size and habits also make it difficult to know their abundance and preferred habitat. This is part of the reason why we are only now realizing how many different species of peacock spiders there are.

Thanks to the concerted efforts of enthusiasts like Jürgen Otto, our knowledge has expanded significantly. Of the 113 described species, each has a unique color and unique dance (males have color and movement). However, we do know that there are more species of peacock spiders awaiting recognition by Western science.

Many species of peacock spiders are known only within very small areas of suitable habitat.

This species is at high risk of extinction because a single threat, such as a large wildfire or suburban development, can destroy all habitat at once.

Why is this allowed?

Before native bushland is cleared in Australia, developers must carry out environmental impact studies to look for threatened species and assess what damage the development will cause. If endangered species are found, development may be curtailed or refused.

The problem is that these studies only look at species known to be at risk. Species not listed on Australia’s growing list of endangered species will not be searched.

However, it has not been assessed whether Maratus Yanchep is under threat. This means it is not protected from development.

This points to a broader problem. Australia’s famous macrovertebrates, such as the koala and the platypus, tend to attract more attention and conservation efforts than more humble invertebrates. We face an uphill battle to protect our abundant invertebrates.

Around the world, many invertebrates are at risk of extinction. Australia is home to at least 300,000 species of invertebrates, dwarfed by the more than 8,000 species of vertebrates, but the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Act, the federal government’s legislation that protects endangered species, There are currently only 101 species listed under . The problem here is that there is not enough data to evaluate most invertebrate species for formal protection listing and protection.

data costs money

Listing a species as endangered requires a large amount of data about where the species is and is not found. This requires time and expertise. But funds are in short supply.

As a result, our efforts to collect data on invertebrates often rely on dedicated volunteers and hobbyists, who choose one genus (such as the peacock spider) to expand our knowledge. may be undertaken.

When a clear and immediate threat emerges, such as the deforestation of the Yanchep coastal dunes, we once again rely on volunteer unpaid labor to gather intelligence.

The problem of sprawl

Perth is one of the longest cities in the world. Its suburbs stretch 150 kilometers from Two Rocks in the north to Dawesville in the south.

Many Perth residents want to live by the coast, increasing demand for new homes on the outskirts of the city. This accelerates the destruction of native shrublands and drives species to extinction. Some species tolerate the change from shrubland to suburban, but they are a minority, less than 25%. Small, localized species are most at risk of extinction.

Perth’s sprawl shows no signs of slowing down. Land clearing for housing is contributing to worsening the Carnaby’s parrot’s plight. Fifty years ago, the iconic parrots flew over the city in a flock of 7,000 birds. That’s not the case now.

What can you do?

Efforts are underway to protect Maratus Yanchep. The non-profit charity Invertebrates Australia is working to get Australia nominated for the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s Red List of Threatened Species. Green Party MP Brad Pettit raised the issue in Parliament in August.

One of the attractive features of peacock spiders is their appearance. they are amazingly beautiful. They are also easily identified by the male’s unique pattern. For most species, you don’t need expert training to tell them apart; just good vision is enough.

As a result, peacock spiders have attracted attention from dozens of amateur arachnologists and photographers who are collecting and sharing information about where peacock spiders can be found. This citizen science data can often be used as evidence in listing species as endangered and removing important protections.

Images of these spiders also raise awareness of spiders and support for their conservation.

Despite recent interest in saving these tiny spiders, it may already be too late. To avoid mass extinction of Australia’s iconic species, we must find better ways to build without large-scale habitat clearing.

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.