Subject: ? Spider/scorpion ? Or what
Geographic location of the bug: Panama, western highlands
Date: 01/08/2019
Time: 09:34 PM EDT
Your letter to the bugman: First looked like scorpion, which we have here, was moving 2 pinchers which were short and flush with head, but had long torso, more like a bee? 4 legs on each side plus long feeler type front legs. Total lenght maybe 1 1/2 inches.
How you want your letter signed: Confused
Dear Confused,
You do not seem confused to us at all. What you described as a “? Spider/scorpion ? Or what” is a Solifugid, a non-venomous Arachnid that is related to both Spiders and Scorpions, but lacking a venomous bite or sting. Solifugids are sometimes called Wind Scorpions or Sun Spiders. We frequently get identification requests from the Southwestern parts of North America. Middle Eastern Solifugids are much larger in size, are commonly called Camel Spiders and were the result of some internet hysteria several years ago.
I found one in my house near the beach in Rio Hato, Panama. Super fast! It gave us a good scare.