Subject: What is This Thing?
Location: Michigan
October 4, 2014 8:47 am
Found in Michigan, autumn weather.
Signature: JPF
HOAX: Tailless Whipscorpion allegedly found in Michigan
Dear JPF,
We would like additional information. Did you find this creature? Was the photograph taken by you? If the photograph was not taken by you, from where did it come? We are inquiring because we believe this image is part of a hoax, though it is not entirely impossible that a Tailless Whipscorpion in the order Amblypygi might have been found in Michigan since global travel is now quite routine and this Tailless Whipscorpion might have stowed away in a suitcase. According to BugGuide, Tailless Whipscorpions have only been reported from Arizona, Texas and Florida in North America, though we imagine they might also be found in other southern states. Tailless Whipscorpions are found throughout Central and South America and they are also found in warm, Old World countries.
It’s a hoax. My neighbor said they found it, but I found the exact same image online associate with a “cave spider”.
Thanks for the confirmation that you have been “Hoaxed” by your neighbor.
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This photograph was taken from the following photobucket account
http://s233.photobucket.com/user/SCABIES_Pictures/library/Po%20metallica%20ventral%20sexing?sort=3&page=3
The owner of the account had identified it as Damon medius
Thanks for the information. According to Panarthropoda, the genus Damon is from Africa. The person who submitted the image to our site for identification confirmed that a neighbor created a hoax by claiming a Michigan sighting.
the amblypige (whip scorpion) are common pet insect and can be found in a lot of exotic pet store.
I would believe this one to be a household exotic pet.
very unfortunate for the hoax, but still a nice picture of an arachnid not Sandra Guérin