New species of Peacock spider that resembles van Gogh art found in Australia

A spider that resembles Vincent van Gogh's famous 'Starry Night' painting has been discovered in Australia. The colorful arachnid is one of seven new species of Peacock spiders, which are tiny, harmless creatures that are usually smaller than a grain of rice. The new species were discovered by Joseph Schubert of Australia's Museums Victoria, who has spent the past few years studying the Peacock spider. 'Last year I traveled the country collecting specimens of these new peacock spiders (some discovered by citizen scientists!) Gallery: Stunning close-ups of insects and spiders (Photo Services) 'I would have to say Maratus constellatus is my favorite by far - it's such a nice looking species, the pattern reminds me of The Starry Night by Van Gogh. In his research findings, which were published in international scientific journal Zootaxa this week, Mr Schubert said each of the new species can be identified by the different markings on their abdomen. 'This interest is driven by the unique courtship behaviour of the males of most species which display an elevated and often vibrantly coloured opisthosoma and third pair of legs to nearby females,' the report states.