Plebs (spider)

Plebs is a genus of orb-weaver spiders first described by M. M. Joseph & V. W. Framenau in 2012.[2] Though many of its species have been moved around, a 2012 taxonomic revision suggested that these spiders comprise a monophyletic genus of closely related spiders that evolved in Australia and, through subsequent movements, spread into parts of Asia and Pacific islands.[2]

Plebs
P. eburnus on web.
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Subphylum: Chelicerata
Class: Arachnida
Order: Araneae
Infraorder: Araneomorphae
Family: Araneidae
Genus: Plebs
Joseph & Framenau, 2012[1]
Type species
P. eburnus
(Keyserling, 1886)
Species

22, see text

Plebs bradleyi

Etymology

"Plebs" is Latin for "common people" and refers to this genus being common in Australia.[2]

Description

Plebs can be recognised by the unique pattern on the underside of the abdomen: a light inverted U shape, followed by two light spots anterolateral to the spinnerets. Spiders of this genus have a typical "eriophorine" genital morphology: the male pedipalp has a paramedian apophysis and an elongated transverse median apophysis, while the female epigyne has an elongated scape without terminal pockets.[2]

Behaviour

These spiders are mainly diurnal, unlike most Araneinae which are mainly nocturnal. They build regular orb-webs with vertical stabilimenta (web decorations used by this and other diurnal orb-weavers). Their webs are generally built in grass and low shrubs.[2]

Species

As of April 2019 it contains twenty-two species. Seven are found in Australia, thirteen in Asia, one on New Caledonia, and one endemic to Vanuatu.[1]

  • Plebs arleneae Joseph & Framenau, 2012 – Australia (Queensland, New South Wales)
  • Plebs arletteae Joseph & Framenau, 2012 – Australia (Lord Howe Is.)
  • Plebs astridae (Strand, 1917) – China, Korea, Taiwan, Japan
  • Plebs aurea (Saito, 1934) – Japan
  • Plebs baotianmanensis (Hu, Wang & Wang, 1991) – China
  • Plebs bradleyi (Keyserling, 1887) – Southeastern Australia, Tasmania
  • Plebs cyphoxis (Simon, 1908) – Australia (Western Australia, South Australia)
  • Plebs eburnus (Keyserling, 1886) (type) – Eastern Australia, Tasmania
  • Plebs himalayaensis (Tikader, 1975) – India
  • Plebs mitratus (Simon, 1895) – India
  • Plebs neocaledonicus (Berland, 1924) – New Caledonia
  • Plebs oculosus (Zhu & Song, 1994) – China
  • Plebs opacus Joseph & Framenau, 2012 – Vanuatu
  • Plebs patricius Joseph & Framenau, 2012 – Australia (Victoria, Tasmania)
  • Plebs plumiopedellus (Yin, Wang & Zhang, 1987) – China, Taiwan
  • Plebs poecilus (Zhu & Wang, 1994) – China
  • Plebs rosemaryae Joseph & Framenau, 2012 – Australia (Queensland, Norfolk Is.)
  • Plebs sachalinensis (Saito, 1934) – Russia (Far East), China, Korea, Japan
  • Plebs salesi Joseph & Framenau, 2012 – New Guinea
  • Plebs sebastiani Joseph & Framenau, 2012 – Philippines
  • Plebs tricentrus (Zhu & Song, 1994) – China
  • Plebs yanbaruensis (Tanikawa, 2000) – Japan

References
  1. "Gen. Plebs Joseph & Framenau, 2012". World Spider Catalog Version 20.0. Natural History Museum Bern. 2019. doi:10.24436/2. Retrieved 2019-05-14.
  2. Joseph, Mathew M.; Framenau, Volker W. (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 (2): 279–341. doi:10.1111/j.1096-3642.2012.00845.x.
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