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small tick-like insect with pinchers
October 21, 2009
I found it on my bedroom wall on 10/21/09.
Lori
Central Massachusetts
Pseudoscorpion
Hi Lori,
Pseudoscorpions are harmless predators that are found worldwide. Because of their small size, they are rarely noticed except whey they are discovered inside homes.
Can you dentify this bug?
July 10, 2009
Can you dentify this bug?
Found in Bend, Oregon near kitchen window inside:(
I first thought it was a tick, but it has pinchers, and walks backward like a crab. It is dark reddish-brown with no spots or other markings(see photo). Can you help us identify it, and should we be concerned that it was in our house? Thanks,
Marc Mauch
Bend, Oregun USA
Pseudoscorpion
Hi Mark,
The harmless predatory Pseudoscorpion is often mistaken for a tick. There are numerous species and they are found throughout the world.
Arachnid, stingerless scorpion???
Tue, Apr 21, 2009 at 3:17 PM
found this creature on my kitchen counter. about 1/8 in. long and 1/16-1/8 in wide, a very tiny thing. this is the second one that we have EVER laid our eyes on. pictures are attached.
c_seiber
East Tennesse Region
Pseudoscorpion
Dear c_seiber,
This is a harmless Pseudoscorpion. Various species are found nearly worldwide, and they are often encountered in peoples homes where they do their best to dispatch unwanted insect and arthropod visitors.
Small Bug with 2 long arms like lobster pinchers
Sat, Mar 21, 2009 at 5:07 AM
I found this bug twice in our bathroom and this morning in our kitchen. I was reading the paper and it might have crawled off my t shirt. Unable to identify it.
Doug
Flushing, MI
Pseudoscorpion
Dear Doug,
This is a harmless Pseudoscorpion, a minute predator often found indoors. We get countless identification requests from around the world on Pseudoscorpions, and we should probably include it in the Top Ten Tag. Though your photo is not the most detailed we have ever received, we love the inclusion of the ruler in the photo so our readership can see just how tiny this amazing predators really are.
Mandible (Non-Insect)?
Sat, Nov 22, 2008 at 12:57 PM
Found 11/22/08, Central Indiana (Lebanon,IN) ,USA, In bathroom sink, Early winter. Exterior Temperature 30 degrees F.
Ruler shown is in mm.
Reece, the Scorpion King
Central Indiana, USA
Pseudoscorpion
Hi Reece,
This is a harmless Pseudoscorpion. They are often found in homes and they have a nearly worldwide distribution.
cerambycid with pseudoscorpion attached
Hey Bugman!
Thought I’d send a couple of pics I think are interesting. I took some photos of what I think is a species of cerambycid that has a pseudoscorpion attached to it. Thought you might want to see them. Oh, and I always forget to add this, I took these in Fort Gordon, Georgia about 2 weeks ago.
Stefan Bowers
hi Stefan,
We wish we could tell you exactly what species of Wood Boring Cerambycid you have in your photo. We will seek the assistance of Eric Eaton. We can tell you that the Pseudoscorpion is hitching a ride with the flying Cerambycid, a technique known as Phoresy.
Update: (06/12/2008)
Hi, Daniel:
Welcome back! Coincidentally, I just visited the site today, after ignoring it while you were away. LOL! Hope you had fun in Ohio. I miss the lush vegetation out there…. The cerambycid is probably the “spined oak borer,” Elaphidion mucronatum, named for the pair of spines at the tip of each wing cover. Cerambycids in general seem to be favorite modes of transport for pseudoscorpions.
Eric
Confirmation: With Different Common Name(6/12/2008)
Hello Daniel
The long horn in question looks like the “Spined Bark Borer” Elaphidion mucronatum due to the long femoral spines which sorts it out from Parelaphidion spp. and a longer spine on the 3rd antennal segment. Hard to tell for sure due to angle of the photo. Seems to be to robust to be an Anelaphus spp. I hope this helps. Keep up the good work as always.
Brian Sullivan
Tiny Crab Like Bug
I was sitting at my computer when i noticed this little thing crawling across my desk. It has long crab like pinchers, and 6 little legs, teardrop shaped body that was extremely flat with stripes brown in color. Sorry my first instinct was eww bug kill it. I did take a picture after its death. Its next to one of my hairs to show relation to size. What is it? Do I need to worry? Thank You
Matthew
Hi Matthew,
We are so busy right now that we can only answer and post a small fraction of the numerous letters we are sent. Were it not for your very descriptive letter with good search terms including crab-like and your wonder image with the open claws on your Pseudoscorpion, it might have gone unanswered. Pseudoscorpions are quite harmless, but they are fierce predators if the prey is small enough for them to capture. They are known to catch and eat house flies much larger than themselves. We also hope the next Pseudoscorpion that crosses you path will continue unharmed as this is truly unnecessary carnage.
what is this?
Found this on my windowsill in my kitchen in Georgia. What is it? I thought perhaps it was a baby scorpion?? For an idea of size, one of the "arms" is between 1/8" and 1/4". Any idea? Please reply!
Amy
Hi Amy,
The Harmless Pseudoscorpion is one of our most common identification requests.
Eight Legs + Two Claws — Insect?
Hello,
I love your site. After my grandmother was attacked in Arkansas by a very aggressive, female, Dobson fly, my love of insects has only increased. Your site has provided hours of fantastic information and wonder. I finally found out what a house centipede was. But now I have an unknown, which I submit with pictures. I live in Minneapolis in an apartment building. Today I found crawling on my wall a fairly small, maybe 3-4 mm long, eight legged creature with an additional two large crab-like claws in the very front. Its body is very similar in shape and coloring to a cockroach nymph. The creature carries its claws in front of its body in much the same way a crab would, slightly extend and slightly raised. Additionally, the creature uses its claws in much the same way a crab would. It seems to regularly bring a claw to its mouth and “taste” what’s on the claw. Please review my photos and tell me what you think. I can’t seem to find anything on the net that even hints and what this might be. Thanks a million Bug Man!
PS – On closer inspection it appears this creature has no antennae.
Ellen
Hi Ellen,
This is not an insect, but an Arachnid. It is a harmless Pseudoscorpion. Pseudoscorpions are quite harmless, but they are fierce predators if the prey is small enough for them to capture. They are known to catch and eat house flies much larger than themselves. We get submissions of Pseudoscorpions from around the world.
what kind of bug is this?
Hi
My Husband and I were wondering what this bug is. We saw it in a Vermont bed and breakfast bathroom crawling across the floor. It was only about 1/8” long (the picture shows it on a sheet of toilet paper to get an idea of how tiny it was). To us it looked like a cross between a scorpion and a tick but with no stinger. We looked at your web site but didn’t see anything like it.
Thanks for the information!
Sharon & David
Hi Sharon and David,
The harmless Pseudoscorpion probably helped to rid the bed and breakfast of problematic insects.
some kind of pseudoscorpion??
Hey Bugman!! I love LOVE your site it’s awesome! 
My name is Mischa and I’m 14 years old. I found this bug in my house. It’s not new, I’ve seen it before, but I’m not really sure what it is… It’s about 2 mm long. I live in New-Brunswick, Canada. I would really appreciate if you could identify this for me, I quite like this little bug!! Thanks soo much, keep up the good work!!
Mischa, NB
Hey Mischa,
You did a great job of getting that photography of your Pseudoscorpion through the magnifying device. Though there are different species of Pseudoscorpions, we aren’t prepared to do an exact species identification.
Tiny Scorpion
Thanks for the website. Now I know what this cute little creature is. Here is another picture to add to your marvelous collection. This one was about 3mm long and found in a backyard in Eastwood, NSW, Australia. The picture was taken with it crawling through the hairs on my arm.
Cheers,
Svend Petersen
Hi Svend,
Thank you for the excellent photo that really demonstrates the tiny scale of this marvelous Pseudoscorpion.
