Penestomus Simon, 1902

Anna S. Dippenaar-Schoeman, 1989, The African species of the subfamily Penestominae (Araneae: Eresidae): with descriptions of two new species, Phytophylactica 21, pp. 131-134 : 131

publication ID	DippenaarSchoeman1989Penestominae
DOI	https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.3513218
persistent identifier	https://treatment.plazi.org/id/215EE557-FE00-D0D2-7092-DAAD78833B0F
treatment provided by	Jeremy
scientific name	Penestomus Simon, 1902
status

Treatment

Penestomus Simon, 1902: 241 View Cited Treatment ; Lehtinen, 1967: 257, 390 View Cited Treatment .

Type species: Penestomus planus Simon, 1902 .

Diagnosis

The flattened body, small size and the position of the eyes distinguish Penestomus from other eresids.

It differs from Wajane in having a cribellum, no patterns on the abdomen and a slightly different eye pattern.

Description

Female. Size: small to medium-sized spiders (4,4-7,0 mm). Colour of carapace reddish brown to dark brown; smooth and shiny, with scattered long black setae covering the dorsal surface interspersed by thicker white setae. Carapace longer than wide, subrectangular and flattened, sides subparallel, slightly narrower in caphalic area, posteriorly and anteriorly truncated with clypeus centrally protruding (Fig. 3). Fovea oval, shallow depression. Eyes in two rows, situated close to anterior edge; anterior row straight, posterior row recurved; eyes small, lateral eyes slightly larger than median eyes; MOQ wider than long, narrower in front; ALE situated close to anterior margin; both AME and PME nearer to each other than to lateral eyes; PLE widely spaced (Fig. 1). Chelicerae long, obliquely directed; anterior margin of cheliceral groove with small chitinous keel armed with small teeth. Maxillae parallel to each other, longer than wide. Sternum oval, caudally projecting between fourth coxae. Abdomen long oval, slightly depressed dorsally, covered with short black setae, uniformly pale ventrally. Legs short, robust; leg formula 4123; coxae long, especially leg IV; three tarsal claws, paired claws pectinate. Cribellum indistinct, oval, bipartite; calamistrum bi- or uniseriate. Epigynal plate large, reddish brown.

Male Unknown.

Distribution

Known only from the Cape Province, South Africa.

Relationship

Closely related to Wajane from which it differs in having a cribellum, no pattern on the abdomen and a slightly different eye pattern.

Bionomics

Nothing is known of P. planus . Adult females of P. croeseri spec. nov. have been collected from the soil surface in riverine bush in Grahamstown.