Plebs tricentrus, (ZHU & SONG, 1994), 2012

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), pp. 279-341 : 337

PLEBS TRICENTRUS ( ZHU & SONG, 1994)

COMB. NOV.

Eriophora tricentra Zhu & Song, 1994 (in Zhu et al., 1994: 41, fig. 16A–D; Yin et al., 1997: 292–293, fig. 201a–d; Song et al., 1999: 280, figs 165O, 166E, I; Zhang et al., 2006: 10–12, fig. 8A–C.

Type: Holotype. ♂ from Hubei Province ( China), Hunan City , 24.x.1990, Mingsheng Zhu ( MHBU). Not examined.

Material examined: No specimens available for loan.

Remarks: This species is apparently only known from males as illustrations of females have not been published. We here propose the transfer to the new genus Plebs , P. tricentrus ( Zhu & Song, 1994) comb. nov. based on a critical review of the available literature and the descriptions and illustrations therein. The new placement is also consistent with the fact that this species is considered congeneric to all other Asian species previously listed in Eriophora and here transferred to Plebs .

Distribution: China ( Yin et al., 1997).

Etymology: We consider the specific epithet a Latin adjective (loosely translated as ‘triple-centred’), which has to follow the masculine gender Plebs .