Categories

Tiny Mystery Insect
Hello there,
First off, I have to say I love the site. Great work. I also appreciate the unnecessary carnage page. I have a little insect that has me absolutely baffled… I found him one afternoon when I picked up a half-damp wash rag off the bathroom counter. He was under it… he was so tiny, I thought he was a little spider at first. I snapped a few pictures of him, which was difficult due to his size. When he sits bunched up with all of his legs together, he’s only about 2mm wide and long. With his pincers out and extended, he’s about 5mm wide and 3mm long. He has eight small legs and obviously, the two pincers like a scorpion. I’m located in Howard City, Michigan (which is just North of Grand Rapids a bit). We don’t have very many insects with pinchers up here, which is why I’m so fascinated with this little bugger. I currently have him in a large plastic freezer bag filled with air and pieces of paper towel for him to walk on. Thank you in advance for any help you might provide.
Elizabeth A. Fisher

Hi Elizabeth,
Your photo of a Pseudoscorpion is wonderfully detailed. These are harmless predators that can capture winged insects much larger than their own diminutive size. They can even capture houseflies.

Related Posts

1. Pseudoscorpion Killed Unnecessarily (May 5, 2008)
2. Pseudoscorpion (January 29, 2007)
3. Pseudoscorpion (October 17, 2006)
4. Pseudoscorpion (May 23, 2006)
5. Pseudoscorpion (April 22, 2009)