South-eastern Grass Orb-weaver Plebs patricius Joseph & Framenau, 2012
Fauna Portal species: 6728
Plebs patricius male, dorsal (ZMUC 12239; Nelson Falls, Franklin-Gordon Wild Rivers National Park, 15 km E Queenstown, Tasmania)
Image: V.W. Framenau (2008)
Fauna Portal Image No. 3350Diagnosis
(after Joseph & Framenau, 2012): Male P. patricius differs from other Plebs species in the shape of the median apophysis of the male pedipalp, which is distally widened and protrudes far beyond the cymbium. It has only a single sclerotized apical tip in contrast to most other Plebs in which males have a median apophysis with two sharp tips. The cup-shaped conductor is a very prominent sclerite. The female epigyne scape is elongated and widest at the base, but it is almost always broken off. Similar scape breakage frequencies occur in P. arleneae but the epigyne without a scape differs considerably in both species.
Status
- native
Linnean Holotype
Australia
- Tasmania
- Victoria
Fauna Portal Records
The map shows all records that have been verified as part of the Fauna Portal project and may not represent the true distribution of a species. Specifically, for described species, check the link to the Atlas of Living Australia on this page for potential wider distributions. Fauna Portal Reference specimens and Linnean types are shown in red. If you identified a specimen that exceeds the distribution of an undescribed species as illustrated here, please contact the Fauna Portal team who can assist with the lodgement of the specimen in a public institution and display on the map.
Publications
(2012): Systematic review of a new orb-weaving spider genus (Araneae: Araneidae), with special reference to the Australasian-Pacific and South-East Asian fauna. Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society. 166: 279 - 341