can you identify this please?
July 25, 2009
hi
this bug found in my kitchen in north London United Kingdom.
however have recently returned from central America / Caribean holiday.
for scale one picture contains a shaving razor handle.
thank you
john
j davey
london U.K
Whipscorpion
Dear j davey,
First off, this has to be the smallest digital file we have ever had sent to us. Despite our feeble eyesight, we have no doubt that is is a Whipscorpion in the order Uropygi. It is not native to England and it is found in the Caribbean. It is also a nocturnal hunter that may take shelter in a suitcase or other dark place. It would seem customs did not do a thorough search. Whipscorpions are perfectly harmless to humans despite the fierce appearance as they have no venom.
thank you
yes, looks just like it
sorry about the size of the file, didn’t realise it was so small, it was taken using the camera on the phone.
thank you for your help
any idea of a good home for it?
john
We would recommend a local pet store that sells Tarantulas.
¶ Posted 27 July 2009 § ‡ ° Crazy bug with crazy tail
Hi,
I was camping in southern New Mexico a few days ago and this insect came into the bathroom. I’ve never seen anything like it! Its body was about 3 inches long, and the tail (is that a tail?) was probably an inch and a half on top of that. It was moving slowly, made a loop around the bathroom, and left. From some of your other posts, I think this might be a solpugid, but i’ve never heard of or seen these guys before so any info you have would be really cool. thanks!
nick
outside Carlsbad, NM
- Whipscorpion
Hi Nick,
This is a Whipscorpion, and it is an Arachnid, not an insect. Arachnids like Insects are a class of Arthropods. The Whipscorpion and Solpugid are both Arachnids, but in different Orders. Whipscorpions do not have venom and are perfectly harmless to humans. The same cannot be said for tiny creatures. Whipscorpions are nocturnal predators that feed on insects, other arachnids and even small lizards. We believe your specimen is Mastigoproctus giganteus, sometimes called a Giant Vinegaroon or Grampus. Your photo is quite detailed and beautiful. Here is what BugGuide has to say about the Giant Vinegaroon: “The vinegaroon is nocturnal and has poor vision. The whiplike tail is used as a sensory organ, as is the first pair of legs, which is not used for walking. Although its tail in unable to sting, this creature can spray an acidic mist from a scent gland at the base of the tail when disturbed. The spray is 85% concentrated acetic acid/vinegar, hence the common name ‘Vinegaroon.’ The heavy pinching mouthparts (modified pedipalps) can also inflict a painful bite. Although very unlikely to attack humans, it can certainly defend itself if provoked.”
Hi Daniel,
Thanks for the quick reply and very detailed information! I was curious about whether it was an arachnid or insect, because the first pair of appendages looked anatomically just like the legs, but were so much longer and, as you said, were being used as feelers and not for locomotion. i had no idea that there were arachnids that only walked on six legs! very cool.
best,
nick
¶ Posted 21 July 2009 § ‡ ° What is this insect?
Fri, Feb 20, 2009 at 4:04 PM
We had just put some towels that were drying into our beach bag, when we noticed a long black thread-like thing inside the bag. Upon further review we saw some sort of insect, with long black legs, a brown body like a HUGE grasshopper or beetle, with pincers like a crab. We convinced it to leave the bag, but it was not aggressive in any way. it scared the hell out of my wife who now wonders if there are more, is it dangerous, did it lay eggs???
Jerry & Nora
Zihautenejo, Mexico
Tailless Whipscorpion
Hi Jerry and Nora,
This is a harmless Tailless Whipscorpion, and it is an Arachnid, not an insect. Tailless Whipscorpions are shy, nocturnal predators, any your specimen was likely just hiding from the sun and heat inside your bag. In Mexico, there are many superstitions about the Tailless Whipscorpion, but the rumors that it is dangerous and venomous are not true. We have had one reader report that the Tailless Whipscorpion is known locally in Mexico as a Cancle, but we cannot verify that in our web research. We doubt that it laid eggs.
¶ Posted 22 February 2009 § ‡ ° Beetle from Cloud forest in Ecuadorian Andes
Tue, Feb 10, 2009 at 8:46 PM
We just got back from Milpe in Ecuador (elevation 1500 meters) and came across this beautiful beetle. Can you ID?
BTW. We saw an almost identical Scorpion bug in the Amazon as the one noted in Thailand. I am attaching pic. Amazing how they can be found in areas so far away from each other.
Mtnchk
Milpe Ecuador
Click Beetle: genus Semiotus
Dear Mtnchk,
We not be able to ever get you a definitive species identification on your beetle, but first we need to start with the family. We are not sure if your beetle is a Jewel Beetle (AKA Metallic Wood Boring Beetle) in the family Buprestidae, or a Click Beetle in the family Elateridae. Our first thought was a Buprestid because of the coloration, but the thoracic area has us inclined to speculate that this is an Elaterid. Click Beetles get their common name from their ability to snap their bodies at the junction of the thorax and abdomen. If the beetle finds itself on its back, this ability allows it to right itself by snapping its body against the hard ground, propelling the beetle high into the air and producing an audible clicking sound. Most North American Click Beetles are drab in coloration, but some tropical species are brightly colored. We hope one of our expert contributors will be able to at least narrow the family and perhaps identify the species.
Tailless Whipscorpion
Also, thanks for including your Ecuadorean example of a Tailless Whipscorpion.
Update: from Eric Eaton
Hi, Daniel:
It is indeed a click beetle, in the genus Semiotus. The whole genus is quite colorful!
Eric
Dear Daniel,
This is fantastic. I really appreciate your quick and thorough response. What a great website you have and I have actually given you a very positive rating as a new website for “Stumble upon” where I was when I came upon your website. I hope this gives you many more hits which lead to some financial gains- you certainly deserve it!
Mtnchk (Rebecca
Update:
Hi Daniel
It goes by the common name ‘Cucuya’ in Ecuador and it is a click beetle (family Elateridae); probably Semiotus illigeri. It occurs in Costa Rica, Panama, Columbia and Ecuador. Semiotus is a large neotropical genus with 31 representatives in Ecuador. Images are hard to find but the ‘Natural History Museum of Los Angeles’ has posted a report on the genus that includes numerous distribution maps and excellent color plates (look for Figure 227). Regards.
Karl
http://www.nhm.org/research/publications/Contributions_in_Science/CS514.pdf
a bug found in Middle of Thailand.
Tue, Feb 10, 2009 at 3:36 AM
we found this bug in a cave in the Middle of Thailand. It walks as the crab, and has 4 pairs of legs and 1 pair of pliers.
the of the bug is about 15cm in width and 10cm in length.
more detail in the image.
Hans Ngo – www.bikechina.org – The Ghost Rider Team
A bat cave in middle of Thailand.
Tailless Whipscorpion
Hi Hans,
We have gotten photos of harmless Tailless Whipscorpions from many places around the world. These are shy nocturnal hunters that are totally harmless since they lack venom.
¶ Posted 10 February 2009 § ‡ ° what´s this?
Mon, Jan 12, 2009 at 12:18 PM
is this a spyder?, what is it. Dangerous???, found under a pyle of stuff
gabriel
mexico
Tailless Whipscorpion
Hola Gabriel,
We never tire of posting images of the harmless, shy, nocturnal, predatory Tailless Whipscorpion. They are Arachnids, but not spiders.
¶ Posted 15 January 2009 § ‡ ° Costa Rican spider
Sat, Dec 6, 2008 at 5:55 PM
Costa Rican spider
We recently visited the Nicoya Peninsula of Costa Rica, and came across this spider on the back of a building at the Cerro Escondido eco-lodge (up a rocky path from Montana Grande in the Karen Mogensen Reserve). I’m curious to find out what it is, because it looks like a mix-mash of everything.
Deborah Dearth
Nicoya Peninsula, Costa Rica
Tailless Whipscorpion
Hi Deborah,
This is a harmless Tailless Whipscorpion, a shy nocturnal predator.
¶ Posted 07 December 2008 § ‡ ° Tailless Whipscorpion British Virgin Islands
Mon, Nov 24, 2008 at 10:16 AM
This Tailless Whipscorpion photo was taken in Tortola, British Virgin Islands, about 10pm on Feb 3 2008. It had been moving back and forth to alternate sides of the wood door as I tried to see it better using a flashlight, and it seems to have gotten used to me as it allowed my hand to get pretty close. The flash must have scared it away because it took off when the photo was taken – they can move really fast! Is that a single eye in the middle of its front top? That seems an unusual place for an eye. (BTW I think it is only fair to make a donation when submitting a photo or question, so I made a PayPal contribution to you, watch for confirmation # 9 edited for privacy)
RD
North side of Tortola, British Virgin Islands
Tailless Whipscorpion
Hi RD,
We were very happy to receive your letter since the last Tailless Whipscorpion submission we received was asphyxiated with insecticide. Tailless Whipscorpions can scuttle sideways in a crablike fashion very quickly. According to BugGuide, Tailless Whipscorpions have eight eyes. You can also find some interesting information on the About Everything website. Thanks for your kind contribution.
¶ Posted 25 November 2008 § ‡ ° 
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