Vonones modestus, Banks, 1909

Kury, Adriano B. & Medrano, Miguel, 2023, Once upon a time in America: recognition of the species of Libitioides from USA, with comments on other American Cosmetidae (Opiliones, Laniatores), European Journal of Taxonomy 875 (1), pp. 101-141 : 106

[4] The humble Cuban cousin ( modestus )

Banks (1909: 171) described the new species Vonones modestus Banks, 1909 from Cuba. This species was wrongly synonymized (by Roewer 1912, see [5]) with Libitioides ornata , a name used by Roewer (see [5]) which included all American cosmetids, and subsequently forgotten.

Four decades later Roewer (1947, see [7]) described a similar species from Cuba, placing it in Platycynorta Mello-Leitão, 1933 , as P. secunda Roewer, 1947 . In spite of Banks’ type of V. modestus being lost, his description matches in all details the male holotype of P. secunda ( Fig. 3 ).

This Cuban species is extremely similar to L. albolineata and only a specific focused study will be able to establish its status. This species does not closely resemble any other Cuban cosmetid, and the hypothesis of introduction should also be considered.

Figures

Fig. 3. Libitioides modesta (Banks, 1909), holotype ♂ of Platycynorta secunda Roewer 1947 (SMF RII 130) from Cuba. a. Habitus, dorsal view. b. Same, ventral view. c. Original Roewer’s label. d. Same as (a), detail of dorsal scutum and basal part of legs. e. Same, detail of basichelicerite, trochanters I–III, protoglyphs and deutoglyphs. f. Same, dextrolateral view. Images courtesy Abel Pérez-González.