"Su! I've got a jumping spider with a snack," exclaimed Amie, who was lining up a macro photograph of the creature alongside her relatively new friend at the Australian National Botanic Gardens earlier this year.
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Su Rammohan and Amie Lording were in the very popular rainforest gully which was artificially created and constructed more than 50 years ago. Before long they had shared this photo via social media with acclaimed arachnologist Dr Joseph Schubert in Melbourne. The two women had a hunch that they were observing a peacock spider that was unknown to them, particularly due to its unique third pair of legs. Within minutes Dr Schubert had confirmed that the spider was in fact Maratus watagansi, a peacock spider with a home range high in the rainforest mountains of the Watagans range west of Newcastle, NSW, some 500 kilometres away.
Rainforest does not naturally occur in the Canberra region.
What transpired was a classic piece of what is now called citizen science where citizens share their observations with scientists, often resulting in quite amazing discoveries and insights. Two online platforms, Instagram and Canberra Nature Map, were used to share their discovery further with fellow photographers and nature enthusiasts. Experts in a variety of scientific fields keep a keen eye on these types of sites to potentially lend their knowledge and advice and to confirm observations where they are able.
I myself know the thrill of a citizen scientist discovery having uncovered a few species of peacock spider in the Canberra area. I noticed the post of Maratus watagansi and arranged to meet with Su and Amie and to see the spiders. Su has also discovered multiple species of peacock spider in collaboration with scientists. Su's four new species were found a few years ago in Western Australia.
I been admiring the photographic skills of Su and Amie online for some months now and had given some tips on potential invertebrate subject matter in the Canberra area. We met the next day and within one hour of searching we had found a further 25 males and five females of Maratus watagansi within a small area of this rainforest gully.
Through another colleague, Helen Cross, they learned that another keen photographer, Patrick Cox, had seen 18 of these spiders a few hours prior in a different part of the rainforest gully. A minimum population of 50 had been observed yet only a small section of the rainforest gully had been searched. This seemed to be both a significant and interesting observation.
Logic suggests that as peacock spiders only rear five-10 young per their one-year life cycle, then a population of his size in a relatively small area must have existed here for some years, possibly decades, even dating back to the genesis of the rainforest gully at the gardens back in 1970.
I contacted the head horticulturist at the gardens, Phil Hurle, who himself saw the spiders and confirmed the fact that rainforest plants, soil and leaf litter would have been translocated when establishing the rainforest gully. The tiny spiders or possibly their eggs would have been transported in this material and since then they had thrived to establish a successful colony in this artificial rainforest.
The man who originally discovered and named Maratus watagansi back in 2013 was also contacted.
Dr Jurgen Otto of Sydney was thrilled and surprised to hear of this observation and confirmed the fact that this translocated and subsequently established population must have existed at the botanic gardens for some years. Dr Otto himself is a scientist who studies mites for Australian Customs yet he is best known for his taxonomic work in discovering, documenting and describing new species of peacock spider as a citizen scientist.
That day, Su and Amie, then subsequently others, observed and photographed male spiders of this species displaying to females in the rainforest gully. This is quite unusual for peacock spiders as this behaviour normally occurs during spring and early summer. The rainforest gully produces a micro-habitat so accurate that it can isolate itself from Canberra's harsh seasons and provide refuge, food and suitable structure for creatures which would normally exist hundreds of kilometres to the north of Canberra in a much different climate.
Observations and discoveries of this nature lend themselves to the casual though enthusiastic rigor of citizen science. It is not conceivable, according to the literature, that any scientist would look for a spider like Maratus watagansi in the Canberra region. Citizen scientists armed with a little knowledge, motivation and encouragement tend to see things as they are and report them accordingly without any bias or prejudgement. This is where citizen science is such a valuable ally and adjunct to mainstream science. If you ask any of its participants, the process is usually a lot of fun, very satisfying, and brings you into contact with people in the community you would not normally cross paths with.
Su will soon be moving with her family to Tasmania so who knows what she might uncover there. Her photography is world class. Amie continues to hone her photographic skills in her spare time and broaden the scope of her searches. Her tenacity and eye for finding things come naturally.
We will all benefit from the exploits of these two women going forward. The satisfaction and balance this pastime gives to their lives will have a positive effect on all those around them and also contribute to the growing body of knowledge and insight built through citizen science.
- Stuart Harris is a science communicator. He is a member of the Australian Citizen Science Association and a committee member of Canberra Nature Map. Stuart spends his spare time conducting citizen science activities in the bush, currently focused on jewel beetles.
