High level of endemism in Haiti’s last remaining forests: a revision of Modisimus (Araneae: Pholcidae) on Hispaniola, using morphology and molecules
Author
Huber, Bernhard A.
Author
Fischer, Nadine
Author
Astrin, Jonas J.
text
Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society
2010
2010-01-25
158
2
244
299
http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1096-3642.2009.00559.x
journal article
10.1111/j.1096-3642.2009.00559.x
0024-4082
5438272
MODISIMUS ROUMAINI
HUBER
SP. NOV
(
Figs 48
,
71
,
152, 153
,
199
)
Figures 148–153.
Diagnostic characters. 148–151.
Modisimus seguin
sp. nov.
148. Left palp, retrolateral view. 149. Male chelicerae, frontal view. 150, 151. Cleared epigynum, ventral (150) and dorsal (151) views. 152, 153.
Modisimus roumaini
sp. nov.
152. Male chelicerae, frontal view. 153. Cleared epigynum, dorsal view. Scale bars: 0.3 mm.
Type:
Male
holotype
from
between Léogâne and Jacmel
, at
18°21.4
′
N
,
72°35.0
′
W
,
Dept
Sud-Est
,
Haiti
;
secondary forest over plantations, near ground, under leaves,
730 m
a.s.l.
,
26 November 2007
(
B.A. Huber
), in
ZFMK
(
Haiti
70)
.
Etymology:
The species name honours Jacques Roumain (1907–1944), author of Masters of the Dew, about a young Haitian man’s effort to save a oncethriving community from drought and family feuds.
Diagnosis:
Medium-sized species with pale callus-like area posteriorly on male abdomen (similar to
M. seguin
sp. nov.
), modified hairs of various lengths on male chelicerae (
Fig. 152
; similar to
M. seguin
sp. nov.
); distinguished from
M. seguin
sp. nov.
by shape of epigynum (
Fig. 48
; smaller and narrower scape), internal sclerites in female genitalia (
Figs 71
,
153
), and absence of spines on male femora.
Male (
holotype
):
Total length, 2.1; carapace width, 1.1. Leg 1: 30.4 (7.6 + 0.5 + 7.7 + 12.3 + 2.3); tibia 2, 5.2; tibia 3, 4.1; tibia 4, 5.3. Tibia 1 L/d: 79. Habitus similar to
M. seguin
sp. nov.
(cf.
Figs 27–29
), carapace pale ochre-white with brown lateral marks posteriorly, thoracic furrow also dark brown, indistinct brown spot posteriorly; ocular area brown posteriorly, clypeus with pair of lateral brown bands; sternum medially brown, with small light spot behind labium, pale ochre-yellow to whitish laterally; legs ochreyellow, tips of femora and tibiae whitish, indistinct darker rings subdistally on femora and tibiae; abdomen bluish grey, dorsally (except heart area) and laterally densely covered with black spots, with some small whitish spots forming disrupted lines, with distinctive pale area posteriorly; genital area and area in front of spinnerets light brown, bluish spot in between. Ocular area strongly elevated; thoracic furrow distinct. PME–PME, 135 Mm; PME diameter, 90 Mm; PME–ALE, 175 Mm; AME–AME, 20 Mm; AME diameter, 20 Mm. Sternum wider than long (0.7/0.55), unmodified. Chelicerae with ~25 modified hairs on each side, mediodistal hairs clearly longer than the others (
Fig. 152
). Palps extremely similar to those of
M. seguin
sp. nov.
(cf.
Fig. 148
), but smaller, and bulbal apophysis slightly more curved, with dorsal bulbal sclerite of a minimally different shape. Legs without spines; all femora with many short vertical hairs; curved hairs on all tibiae and on metatarsi 2–4; retrolateral trichobothrium of tibia 1 at 12%; prolateral trichobothrium missing on tibia 1, present on all other tibiae. Tarsus 1 with ~25 pseudosegments.
Female:
In general similar to male, but without callus-like area posteriorly on abdomen, dark rings on legs more distinct; tibia 1, 5.8. Epigynum, with tongue-shaped scape, and distinctive dark sclerites (
Fig. 48
); dorsal view as in
Figures 71
and
153
.
Distribution:
Known from
type
locality only (
Fig. 199
).
Material examined:
Haiti
:
Dept
Sud-Est
:
between Léogâne and Jacmel
:
1♂
,
holotype
above; same data,
1♀
(
ZFMK
,
Haiti
70); same data,
two juveniles
, in pure ethanol (
ZFMK
,
Haiti
71)
.