Large black crab spider?
Location: South Mountin Foothills, Phx AZ
May 4, 2012 8:30 am
This creature is the second one I’ve seen in the last couple of weeks, both were on the ground, and near a threshold, they dart out then freeze when the door is opened, and are nocturnal. Its about two inches across it antenna (front legs?)
Signature: Kim D
Tailless Whipscorpion
Hi Kim,
Though this creature does move like a Crab, it is not a Crab Spider, nor even a true Spider, but rather a member of its own order. It is a Tailless Whipscorpion, and it is related to both spiders and scorpions, but unlike the former, they do not possess venom. They are shy, harmless, nocturnal hunters that will help keep the cockroach populations under control.
Thanks Daniel,
There are small roaches in the yard, so that would explain their presence. Glad to hear they aren’t venomous, they can hunt in the yard all they want.
Thanks again!
Kim
¶ Posted 04 May 2012 § ‡ ° Stumped
Location: Needles, CA.
April 18, 2012 4:40 pm
A friend in the Mojave Desert, near the Colorado River, snapped this shot of some kind of creature over his door. We’ve had little luck identifying it. Some said a pseudoscorpion but I’ve caught them and this is not one of them as far as I can tell. Almost looks like a type of beetle.
Signature: Reggie
Tailless Whipscorpion
Hi Reggie,
Tailless Whipscorpions in the order Amblypygi are shy, nocturnal predators. Since they lack venom, they are perfectly harmless though they might seem frightening. See BugGuide for more information.
¶ Posted 19 April 2012 § ‡ ° First glance: Scorpion spider death machine
Location: southwest Nicaragua, Granada-ish
March 1, 2012 10:34 pm
Hellooo, I have been seeing a lot of this bug in my location in Nicaragua. they seem to like cooler dark spaces, often up in the corners of eves, but most often lurking approximately 6-10 inches from that extremely important object you are reaching for. this one is approximately five inches wide including it’s legs but I have seen one that was at least seven inches with the longest part of it’s legs stretched. At first glance I thought it was a spider, then after seeing a couple more i realized it didn’t have the required amount of legs…my question is…what kind of damage is this sucka going to do when it releases it’s grip from under the top bunk and lands on my face?!
Signature: yazzyenna
Tailless Whipscorpion
Dear yazzyenne,
We found your letter terribly amusing. While this Tailless Whipscorpion can be considered a “death machine”, humans do not really need to fear them. Cockroaches and other nocturnal foragers, the typical prey of Tailless Whipscorpions, would definitely consider them to be “death machines.” Though they are related to both spiders and scorpions, Tailless Whipscorpions have no venom. They may deliver a painful bite if carelessly handled, but they are considered harmless.
¶ Posted 06 March 2012 § ‡ ° Scorpion in my bed
Location: Pietermaritzburg, Kwazulu Natal, South Africa
March 4, 2012 1:15 am
Hello bugman!
The other morning around 2am, I woke up to a burning sensation on my shoulder. I realised that something had stung me, switched on the light and found this little guy on my pillow. I took a photo of it and then relocated it well away from my bedroom. It’s probably around 3cm long. It’s the hottest time of Summer here and it has been very dry.
Signature: Tania Kuhl
Scorpion
Dear Tania,
The markings on this Scorpion are quite pretty. Its small size may indicate it is immature. Because you did not react by squashing the hapless Scorpion that wandered into your bed, and because you relocated the creature, we are tagging your post with the Bug Humanitarian Award.
Belize bug
Location: Belize
February 17, 2012 10:16 am
locals say this bug eats cockroaches
Signature: travler
Tailless Whipscorpion
Dear travler,
Whenever we receive a letter from someone who is terrified of a Tailless Whipscorpion, we try to explain that they are harmless creatures that lack venom and that they feed on nocturnal, marauding cockroaches. It is nice to hear locals in Belize are passing on correct information.
¶ Posted 17 February 2012 § ‡ ° unnowne bug
Location: central fla
October 28, 2011 9:47 am
bug with crab like claws spider face,found in merritt island fl.
size 3”
Signature: phionex207@aol.com
Giant Vinegaroon
Dear phionex207,
Though this Giant Vinegaroon is an Arachnid that is distantly related to venomous creatures like spiders and scorpions, the Vinegaroon does not pose a threat to humans as it has no venom. It is capable of releasing a mild acetic acid that smells like vinegar, hence the common name. The Giant Vinegaroon is a Tailless Whipscorpion that is also sometimes called a Grampus.
¶ Posted 28 December 2011 § ‡ ° Scorpion with Babies
Location: Huachuca Mts., southern Arizona
October 11, 2011 2:22 pm
I took a photograph in southern Arizona a few years ago of a scorpion with babies on its back. Can you identify the species from this shot? Thanks.
Signature: Glenn McCrea
Arizona Bark Scorpion with Brood
Dear Glenn,
In our opinion, this is an Arizona Bark Scorpion, Centruroides sculpturatus. According to BugGuide, “‘sculpturatus’ describes the sculptured appearance of the tergites (dorsal plates)” and that is a distinguishing feature, however, in your photograph, the tergites are hidden by the substantial brood of young.
¶ Posted 12 October 2011 § ‡ ° weird bug
Location: cr 204 in Mitchell Co Texas
September 21, 2011 8:02 pm
Could you help us to ID this bug. We have never seen it before.
Signature: jennifer
Giant Vinegaroon
Hi Jennifer,
This harmless Whipscorpion is sometimes called a Giant Vinegaroon because it can spray a mild acetic acid that smells like vinegar. Unlike Scorpions, Whipscorpions do not have venom.
¶ Posted 21 September 2011 § ‡ ° 
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