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Home » Guide » Arthropods (Arthropoda) » Chelicerates (Chelicerata) » Arachnids (Arachnida) » Pseudoscorpions (Pseudoscorpiones)
Photo#201984
scorpion looking critter
Copyright © 2008 augray

scorpion looking critter
Flat Rock, Crawford County, Illinois, USA
July 15, 2008
Size: 1/4 inch long bodywise
This little guy more resembles a scorpion than a spider. And, not even sure if it is that. Was crawling up the wooden wall post at the barn. Moved backwards at first before turning around and going forward.
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Contributed by augray on 15 July, 2008 - 1:18am
Last updated 2 August, 2008 - 6:06pm

Harmless
These are actually rather cool little critters. Found living in dead wood & leaf litter, they prey on mites, springtails, and small insects & their larvae. Their pincers have venom glands in them used to help subdue prey.
In order to travel from one location to another, they enlist the aid or unwary beetles, which they hitch rides on in a behavior called 'phoresy'.
… Jonas Insinga, 15 July, 2008 - 6:15am login or register to post comments

A relative...
This is a pseudoscorpion, an arachnid related to the scorpions but not in the same order
… Karl Volkman, 15 July, 2008 - 1:21am login or register to post comments

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