Modisimus femoratus Bryant. However 1948
Creators: name: Huber, Bernhard A.
name: Fischer, Nadine
name: Astrin, Jonas J.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2010
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Arachnida
Araneae
Pholcidae
Modisimus
Modisimus femoratus

description: MODISIMUS FEMORATUS BRYANT, 1948   
(Figs 17, 18, 38, 63, 83, 94, 104–107, 124–126, 195)  
 Modisimus femoratus Bryant, 1948: 367–368, figs 39, 42.   
 M. glaucus Simon: Bryant, 1948: 369–370, figs 38, 41, 56; misidentification? (See note below.)   
 Note: Two males from Puerto Plata identified by Bryant (1948) as M. glaucus Simon are here tentatively assigned to M. femoratus Bryant. However, they might indeed be M. glaucus; equally they might neither be M. glaucus nor M. femoratus, or M. femoratus could in fact be a junior synonym of M. glaucus (also see notes on type species above).   
 Type: Male holotype from Sánchez [~ 19°13.8 ′ N, 69°36.8 ′ W], Samaná Prov., Dominican Republic; with labels ‘Dom. Rep.; Sánchez, July 1938, Darlington’ and ‘ Modisimus femoratus ♂ – holotype B.0023 Bryant’, in MCZ, examined.   
 Diagnosis: Medium-sized species with slightly elongated abdomen (Figs 17, 18), male chelicerae with pair of small projections, with weakly modified hairs (Figs 83, 125; similar to M. jima sp. nov. and M. angulatus sp. nov.), and distinctive epigynum (Fig. 38; similar to M. angulatus sp. nov.). Distinguished from M. angulatus sp. nov. by pattern on sternum (lateral border not broken), dorsally evenly curved abdomen, and male cheliceral projections slightly closer together; distinguished from M. jima sp. nov. by longer abdomen, indistinct ventral procursus notch, and slightly different epigynum.   
 Male (near Sánchez): Total length, 2.6; carapace width, 1.1. Leg 1: 29.4 (7.8 + 0.4 + 7.3 + 12.0 + 1.9); tibia 2, 4.8; tibia 3, 4.0; tibia 4, 4.4. Tibia 1 L/d: 63. Habitus as in Figures 17 and 18: carapace ochreyellow, ocular area posteriorly brown, clypeus laterally light brown; sternum with two brown longitudinal bands, medially whitish, lateral margins ochre-yellow; legs light brown, tips of femora and tibiae whitish; abdomen bluish grey, with dark spots dorsally and laterally; large light-brown genital area, dark brown in front of spinnerets, with blue mark between genital area and spinnerets. Ocular area strongly elevated; thoracic furrow distinct. PME – PME, 80 Mm; PME diameter, 105 Mm; PME – ALE, 115 Mm; AME very tiny (Fig. 83), lenses not clearly visible in dissecting microscope. Sternum wider than long (0.7/0.5), unmodified. Chelicerae with indistinct round humps frontally set with a few basally thickened hairs (Figs 83, 125). Palps as in Figure 124, coxa with light retrolateral apophysis, femur with rounded proximal and pointed distal ventral apophyses, procursus with dark dorsal spine-like process (see also Fig. 94) and membranous structures distally, and bulb with large, weakly curved apophysis. Legs with spines in two ventral rows on femora 1 and 2 (~45–55 spines in each row on femur 1; 20–25 spines in each row on femur 2), some spines on elevated bases, retrolateral trichobothrium on tibia 1 at 8%; all femora with higher than usual density of short vertical hairs, but not very dense; curved hairs dorsally on tibiae and metatarsi 1–3; prolateral trichobothrium missing on tibia 1, but present on all other tibiae. Tarsus 1 with ~30 pseudosegments.   
 Variation: Tibia 1 in 53 other males: 5.8–8.8 (mean 7.3). Small males tend to have fewer and smaller spines on their femora; some males have curved hairs on tibiae only; some males also have white spots on their abdomen. The type is in poor condition, with legs fragmented, both palps and abdomen detached, and with legs 1 missing. Males from Loma Quita Espuela and Puerto Plata appear identical, but are smaller (tibia 1 in ten males, 5.0–6.4; mean, 5.5; cf. females from that locality); they are therefore only assigned tentatively. The material from Dajabón Prov. is assigned tentatively because the male cheliceral prominences are slightly more distal, the procursus tip differs slightly, and they are smaller (tibia 1: 5.1, 5.7).   
 Female: In general similar to male, but with more distinctive brown lateral marks on clypeus. Tibia 1 in 37 females: 3.6–5.4 (mean 4.7). Epigynum, roughly rectangular, with posterior light area flanked by lateral sclerites (Fig. 38); frontally, a triangular sclerite; dorsal view as in Figures 63 and 126, with a prominent frontal membranous structure. Females from Loma Quita Espuela and Puerto Plata tend to be smaller: tibia 1 in 12 females: 3.5–4.3 (mean 3.95); in those from Loma Quita Espuela, the epigynum is slightly longer than usual. Females from Dajabón Prov. have extremely similar epigyna; tibia 1, 3.8 and 4.0.   
 Distribution and habitat: This species is widely distributed in the north-eastern Dominican Republic (Fig. 195). It was sometimes found to share its habitat with M. kiskeya sp. nov. (among vegetation), but lives closer to the ground, and also among rocks and under dead leaves.   
 Material examined: Dominican Republic: Samaná Prov., Sánchez, 1♂, holotype above; near Sánchez, degraded forest at road to Las Terrenas (19°14.5 ′ N, 69°35.9 ′ W), domed webs in vegetation, 290 m a.s.l., 11 November 2005 (B.A. Huber), 7♂ and 9♀ (ZFMK, DR 30); same data, 1♀, in pure ethanol (ZFMK, DR 100-30); degraded forest near Saltos de Limón (~ 19°16.6 ′ N, 69°26.5 ′ W), ~ 120 m a.s.l., in low vegetation, 11 November 2005 (B.A. Huber), 8♂, 7♀ and two juveniles (ZFMK, DR 33); same data, 1♂, 5♀ and one juvenile, in pure ethanol (ZFMK, DR 100-27); south of Las Gelaras (19°12.8 ′ N, 69°13.1 ′ W), forest above rocks, low vegetation, near ground, 20 m a.s.l., 12 November 2005 (B.A. Huber), 11♂ and 7♀ (ZFMK, DR 36); same locality, 1♂, in pure ethanol, together with one juvenile of an unidentified species (Modisimus sp. 3; Table 4) (ZFMK, DR 100-33). María Trinidad Sánchez Prov., near La Entrada, forest above rocks at Santuario de La Virgen (19°34.9 ′ N, 69°54.0 ′ W), 15 m a.s.l., 12 November 2005 (B.A. Huber), 6♂, 3♀ and one juvenile (ZFMK, DR 41). Monte Plata Prov., near Yamasá (18°45.9 ′ N, 70°01.2 ′ W), degraded forest along river, 70 m a.s.l., low vegetation, 20 November 2005 (B.A. Huber), 14♂, 3♀ and four juveniles (ZFMK, DR 84 /85); same data, 1♀, in pure ethanol (ZFMK, DR 100-20); near Monte Plata (18°48.7 ′ N, 69°47.1 ′ W), degraded forest along river, 60 m a.s.l., near ground, 21 November 2005 (B.A. Huber), 4♂ and 1♀ (ZFMK, DR 91). Hato Mayor Prov., north of Manchado (18°50.2 ′ N, 69°18.5 ′ W), degraded forest near river, 150 m a.s.l., vegetation, 21 November 2005 (B.A. Huber), 2♂, 5♀ and four juveniles (ZFMK, DR 94); forest between Hato Mayor and Sabana de la Mar, 2 July 1935 (W. G. Hassler), 2 ♀ in poor condition (AMNH). El Seíbo Prov., near Miches (18°56.8 ′ N, 69°05.2 ′ W), forest with plantations, ~ 300 m a.s.l., low vegetation, 22 November 2005 (B.A. Huber), 5♂, 5♀ and three juveniles (ZFMK, DR 99).   
 Assigned tentatively: Dajabón Prov., near El Pino (19°24.7 ′ N, 71°29.9 ′ W), degraded forest along river, 160 m a.s.l., 15 November 2005 (B.A. Huber), 1♂ and 2♀ (ZFMK, DR 54); south of Restauración (19°16.8 ′ N, 71°42.1 ′ W), degraded forest along brook, 630 m a.s.l., 16 November 2005 (B.A. Huber), 1♂ and one juvenile (ZFMK, DR 57). Puerto Plata Prov.: south of Puerto Plata, forest along path towards Isabel Torres National Park (19°46.4 ′ N, 70°42.3 ′ W), 350 m a.s.l., 14 November 2005 (B.A. Huber), 8♂ and 6♀ (ZFMK, DR 49); same data, 1♂ and 5♀, in pure ethanol, one of them sequenced and found to be considerably distant from M. femoratus (see Modisimus sp. 2 in Table 4) (ZFMK, DR 100–39); Puerto Plata, July–August 1941 (Hurst), 2♂ (MCZ 26.669). Duarte Prov., Reserva Científica Loma Quita Espuela at ~ 500 m a.s.l. (19°21.5 ′ N, 70°09 ′ W), 10 November 2005 (B.A. Huber), 2♂ and 6♀ (ZFMK, DR 25); same data, 4♀, in pure ethanol, one of them sequenced and found to be considerably distant from M. femoratus (see Modisimus sp. 1 in Table 4) (ZFMK, DR 100-23). ‘ 75 km N Santo Domingo’, 17 July 1935 (Hassler), 2♂ and one juvenile (AMNH).
description: Published as part of Huber, Bernhard A., Fischer, Nadine & Astrin, Jonas J., 2010, High level of endemism in Haiti's last remaining forests: a revision of Modisimus (Araneae: Pholcidae) on Hispaniola, using morphology and molecules, pp. 244-299 in Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 158 (2) on pages 256-263, DOI: 10.1111/j.1096-3642.2009.00559.x, http://zenodo.org/record/5438272