8 legs Plus pinchers?
Location: SE PA, 20 miles west of Philadelphia, 15 miles north of Wilm, DE
April 29, 2012 9:34 pm
Found on shower wall. Body width about 1mm. Shown with 1.75” safety pin, about 1/4” showing. Width of pin about 0.95mm.
Signature: Shower Psycho
Dear Shower Psycho,
You have discovered a Pseudoscorpion, a harmless arachnid that has no venom unlike its stinging namesake. Pseudoscorpions are cosmopolitan in distribution and they are rarely noticed because of their tiny size. They use their claws to capture prey, and they are beneficial predators. They can also use their claws to attach themselves to larger flying insects that they use to transport them to new feeding grounds, a phenomenon known as phoresy. Since it is the end of the month, we need to select a Bug of the Month for May, and we are choosing your submission.