PROTUS SIMON, 1879

Protus Simon, 1879: 193 .

Type species: Protus insolens Simon, 1879, by monotypy.

Etymology: Protus is a character of Plutarch´s Dion. Gender masculine.

Diagnosis: It differs from the other Discosomaticinae by having two white tubercles in area III (Fig. 31B, C) and by having the dorsal process of glans slender and acuminate (Figs 35G, 41A). Some species have the facies of Sibambea and Kayania because of the coloration of coxa IV with yellow spots (Figs 33B, 44C), for having a yellowish border in anterior margin of DS (Figs 25, 37, 42A) and for the absence of constriction I in the outline of DS in dorsal view. It differs from Sibambea by having a long VP of penis (Fig. 35G, except for P. distinctus and P. bolivari). Protus differs from Kayania and Marronia by not having strong ornamentation on the scutal area III (Fig. 35F vs. Fig. 24).

Included species: Protus bolivari (Roewer, 1952) comb. nov., P. distinctus (Avram & Soares, 1983) comb. nov., P. insolens Simon, 1879, P. quadripunctatus (Roewer, 1947) comb. nov., P. marllusi Medrano, Kury & Mendes sp. nov. and P. speciosus (Roewer, 1928) comb. nov.

Combined distribution: Upper Amazon basin, eastern Andean slope in Peru (Fig. 30).