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 MANGO
HUBER
SP. NOV.
(
Figs 7, 8
,
25
,
58
,
80
,
179–181
,
200
)
Type:
Male
holotype
from
Le Prete
(
18°15.9
′
N
,
73°56.7
′
W
; ~
170 m
a.s.l.
),
Dept Sud
,
Haiti
,
in small web under dead mango leaves on the ground, near river,
2 December 2007
(
B.A. Huber
), in
ZFMK
(
Haiti
16a)
.
Etymology:
The name refers to the fact that all specimens were collected under dry mango leaves on the ground; it is used as a noun in apposition.
Diagnosis:
Small, long-legged species, with pair of small marks on carapace (
Fig. 25
), distinctive pattern of modified hairs on chelicerae (
Fig. 180
), and distinctive shapes of epigynum (
Fig. 58
) and procursus (
Fig. 179
).
Male (
holotype
):
Total length, 1.1; carapace width, 0.63. Leg 1: 15.5 (3.9 + 0.3 + 4.0 + 6.0 + 1.3); tibia 2, 2.2; tibia 3, 1.5; tibia 4, 1.9. Tibia 1 L/d: 55. Habitus as in
Figures 7, 8
,
25
, carapace pale ochre-yellow, with dark mark medially, and a pair of small marks laterally between legs 2 and 3, clypeus also darkened, sternum whitish with pair of darker lateral areas frontally; legs ochre-yellow, with indistinct darker rings on femora and tibiae subdistally, patellae also slightly darker; abdomen bluish grey, with large black and small white spots dorsally and laterally; genital area and plate in front of spinnerets also slightly darker. Ocular area elevated; thoracic furrow distinct. PME–PME, 60 Mm; PME diameter, 70 Mm; PME– ALE, 70 Mm; small median pigment spot in place of AME, no lenses. Sternum wider than long (0.45/0.35), unmodified. Chelicerae with ~15 modified hairs on each side, six of them on low elevation (
Fig. 180
). Palps as in
Figure 179
, coxa with light retrolateral apophysis, femur with large proximal flap and long distal ventral apophysis, procursus simple, tapering distally, with membranous structures distally, barely visible in dissecting microscope, and bulbal apophysis with transparent lateral flap. Legs without spines; retrolateral trichobothrium on tibia 1 at 16%; all femora with many short vertical hairs; curved hairs on tibiae and metatarsi 1 and 2; prolateral trichobothrium missing on tibia 1, present on all other tibiae; tarsus 1 with more than 15 pseudosegments, distally fairly distinct.
Figures 179–184.
Diagnostic characters. 179–181.
Modisimus mango
sp. nov.
179. Left palp, retrolateral view. 180. Male chelicerae, frontal view. 181. Cleared epigynum, dorsal view. 182–184.
Modisimus cienaga
sp. nov.
182. Left palp, retrolateral view. 183. Male chelicerae, frontal view. 184. Cleared epigynum, dorsal view. Scale bars: 0.2 mm.
Variation:
The second male has a lighter abdomen and fewer white spots. Tibia 1: 4.1.
Female:
In general, similar to male, but dark rings on legs clearly more distinct. Tibia 1: 2.2 and 2.3. Epigynum, simple plate, with lateral sclerites converging posteriorly, and median transverse sclerite (
Fig. 58
); dorsal view as in
Figures 80
,
181
.
Distribution:
Known from
type
locality only (
Fig. 200
).
Material examined:
Haiti
:
Dept Sud
,
Le Prete
,
1♂
,
holotype
above; same data,
1♂
and
2♀
(
ZFMK
,
Haiti
16);
same data,
1♂
and
2♀
, in pure ethanol (
ZFMK
,
Haiti
89)
.