Penestomus planus Simon, 1902

Miller, Jeremy A., Griswold, Charles E. & Haddad, Charles R., 2010, Taxonomic revision of the spider family Penestomidae (Araneae, Entelegynae), Zootaxa 2534, pp. 1-36 : 24-25

Penestomus planus Simon, 1902

Figs 15C, 16A, 21

Penestomus planus Simon, 1902 : 241 ; Lehtinen, 1967: 462, fig. 469 ; Dippenaar-Schoeman, 1989: 133, fig. 6 .

Type material. Holotype: ♀, Willowmore , Eastern Cape, South Africa [33°10'S, 23°21'E], D.H. Brauns ( AR 14375, 21716 , MNHN) .

Additional material examined. SOUTH AFRICA: Eastern Cape: 1 ♀, Dunbrody, Uitenhage District [33°45'S, 25 °23'E], 1901, J.A. O'Neil ( 11608 SAM-ENW-X 011608 , SAM) ; Western Cape: 1 ♀, 1 juvenile, Mossel Bay [34°10'S, 22°7'E], April 1896, W.F. Purcell ( 912 - 4196 SAM-ENW-X000912 , SAM) .

Diagnosis. Female distinguished from other planus group species as follows: from P. montanus by the parallel grooves on the PL (Figs 16 A, B; diverging in P. montanus, Fig . 12 C), and by the having the AL of the epigynum well defined and subtriangular (suboval and weakly defined in P. montanus, Fig . 12 C); from P egazini by the PL, which is approximately one third the length of the epigynum (Figs 16 A, B; nearly half the length of the epigynum in P. egazini, Fig . 12 A); from P. prendinii by the recurved posterior margin of the AL (Figs 16 A, B; transverse medially in P. prendinii, Fig . 12 E); from P. zulu sp. nov. by the lack of an invagination on the posterior margin of the PL (Fig. 16 D); and from P. kruger sp. nov. by the overall shape of the epigynum, which is relatively wide and short with a strongly concave posterior margin of the AL in P. planus (Fig. 16 A; narrow and long with a more weakly concave posterior margin of the AL in P. kruger sp. nov., Fig. 16 B). Male unknown.

Description. Specimen faded, carapace orange, lighter posteriorly with smooth texture, covered by fine black setae, with broad white setae concentrated in thoracic and fovea region (Fig. 15 C). Sternum pale yellow. Chelicerae dark red, with six promarginal teeth, two retromarginal teeth. Legs dusky yellow basally, anterior legs orange distally, posterior legs yellow distally. Abdomen pale, but details obscured due to specimen damage.

Epigynum. AL subtriangular, clearly differentiated from surrounding cuticle, posterior margin strongly concave; PL approximately 1/3 length of epigynum, with parallel grooves (Fig. 16 A).

Female macrosetae: Leg I: femur d1, tibia v1-2 -2, metatarsus v1-2 -2; leg II: femur d1, tibia v1, metatarsus v1-2; leg III: femur d1, metatarsus v2; leg IV: femur d1, metatarsus v1-2; tarsus r1.

Holotype female ( AR 14375, 21716): Carapace 2.28 long, 1.61 wide, 0.56 high, sternum 1.31 long, 0.75 wide (abdomen disarticulated from prosoma so total length undetermined). Leg measurements:

Distribution. Known from Eastern Cape Province and Western Cape Province, South Africa (Fig. 21).