Subject: Spider/beetle/ant?
Geographic location of the bug: Estrella, Arizona
Date: 03/20/2019
Time: 10:37 PM EDT
Your letter to the bugman: These guys were everywhere off the side of the road in the washout area but now we can’t figure out what they were!
How you want your letter signed: CJSM
Dear CJSM,
Though it resembles a Spider, this Harvestman in the order Opiliones is a related, non-venomous Arachnid. Thanks to the Sonoran Desert Naturalist site, we identified it as a Desert Harvestman in the genus Eurybunus. The site states: “Desert Harvestmen, like most other harvestmen are probably scavengers that feed on dead insects. They are harmless and do not bite or possess venom. Probably the most astonding feature beyond the ultra-slender legs is the mid-body turret upon which the simple eyes are attached.” According to BugGuide: “Adults found in winter and Spring.”
One time we were visiting Grand Wash where it flows into Lake Mead. It was a wet spring and these creatures were swarming all over the place. We called them ” daddy long legs” and were happy to see them because they don’t bite and it was truly something to see. Thank you so much for this information.