Menemerus modestus

Menemerus modestus is a small spider. The male has a brown carapace that is typically 2.2 mm (0.09 in) long and is covered by dense long brown hairs. The eye field is darker and has many greyish-white hairs on it. The spider has distinctive mouthparts including dark brown chelicerae, brown labium and brown maxilae The underside of the carapace, or sternum, is light brown. The spider's abdomen is typically 2.1 mm (0.08 in) long and very light, yellowish with a pattern of a faint fawn stripe barely visible on the top. The underside is yellow. It has light spinnerets and yellow legs. The spider's copulatory organs are distinctive. The pedipalps are brown. The short embolus has a small flap-like accompanying spike, or lamella. The bulb has a distinctive arrangement of its appendages, or apophyses. One is larger and more bulbous. The other is a considerably smaller spike. The female has not been described. Spiders of the Menemerus genus are difficult to distinguish. This species is particularly similar to the related Menemerus animatus, Menemerus davidi, Menemerus guttatus and Menemerus silver. The males can be most distinguished by the arrangement of the embolus and apophyses. For example, the lower of the two apophyses is smaller than Menemerus guttatus while the more rearward of the two is longer.

Menemerus spiders are found throughout Africa and Asia, and have been identified as far as Latin America. Menemerus modestus is endemic to Tunisia.

Due to their good eyesight, Menemerus spiders are mostly diurnal hunters. They attack using a complex approach to their prey and are generally more proactive in comparison to web-spinning spiders. They undertake complex courtship displays while the males will display aggressively between themselves. The spider is likely to eat nectar.