? Pseudoscorpions
Lasiochernes cretonatus
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Arthropoda Class: Arachnida Order: Pseudoscorpionida Haeckel, 1866

A pseudoscorpion, (also known as a false scorpion or book scorpion), is an arachnid belonging to the order Pseudoscorpionida, also known as Pseudoscorpiones or Chelonethida. Pseudoscorpion This is a photo of the species Lasiochernes cretonatus, found and photographed by Hans Henderickx in Souré cave, Crete, March 1997. ... Scientific classification or biological classification is how biologists group and categorize extinct and living species of organisms (as opposed to folk taxonomy). ... Phyla Subregnum Parazoa Porifera (sponges) Subregnum Agnotozoa Placozoa (trichoplax) Orthonectida (orthonectids) Rhombozoa (dicyemids) Subregnum Eumetazoa Radiata (unranked) (radial symmetry) Ctenophora (comb jellies) Cnidaria (coral, jellyfish, anemones) Bilateria (unranked) (bilateral symmetry) Acoelomorpha (basal) Orthonectida (parasitic to flatworms, echinoderms, etc. ... Subphyla and Classes Subphylum Trilobitomorpha Trilobita - trilobites (extinct) Subphylum Chelicerata Arachnida - spiders,scorpions, etc. ... Orders Acarina Amblypygi Araneae Opiliones Palpigradi Pseudoscorpionida Ricinulei Schizomida Scorpiones Solifugae Uropygi The arachnids, Arachnida, are a class of invertebrate animals in the subphylum Chelicerata. ... This article is in need of attention from an expert on the subject. ... Orders See text. ...

Physical characteristics

Pseudoscorpions are tiny, scorpion-like arthropods with a flat, pear-shaped body with two sections, eight 5-segmented legs, and simple eyes. The color of the body can be yellowish-tan to dark-brown, with the paired claws often a contrasting color. They have two very long pedipalps, or pincers, which strongly resemble the scorpion's claws, but the pseudoscorpion's abdomen is short and rounded at the rear, rather than extending into a segmented tail and sting. Superfamilies Pseudochactoidea Buthoidea Chaeriloidea Chactoidea Iuroidea Scorpionoidea See the classification sectionfor families. ... Male European garden spider with swollen pedipalps Pedipalps are a pair of feelers on the front end of a spiders prosoma (aka cephalothorax), which can be thought of as its head. ...

They range from 2 to 8 mm (1/12 to 1/3 inch) in length.

The movable part of the pincer contains a venom gland and duct; the poison is used to capture and immobilize their tiny prey. They do not bite. To digest prey, they pour a mildly corrosive fluid over the prey, then ingest the liquefied remains. It has been suggested that Snake poison be merged into this article or section. ...

They spin silk from a gland in their jaws to make disk-shaped cocoons for mating, molting, or waiting out cold weather. Silk weaver Silk is a natural protein fiber that can be woven into textiles. ... Cocoon has a number of meanings. ...

Growth

During the elaborate mating dance, a male pulls a female over a spermatophore previously laid upon a surface. The female carries the fertilized eggs in a brood pouch attached to her abdomen, and the young ride on the mother for a short time after they hatch. Up to two dozen young are hatched in a single brood; there may be more than one brood per year. A spermatophore is a capsule or mass created by males of various invertebrate species, containing spermatozoa and transferred in entirety to the female during sex. ... The abdomen is a part of the body. ... Zerg Brood brood comb: the area in a beehive where the queen lays eggs and new bees are raised This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ...

The young go through three molts over the course of several years before reaching adulthood. Adult pseudoscorpions live 2 to 3 years. They are active in the warm months of the year, overwintering in silken coccoons when the weather grows cold. Image File history File links Download high resolution version (808x616, 306 KB) File links The following pages link to this file: Pseudoscorpion ... Ecdysis is the molting of the cuticula in arthropods and related groups (Ecdysozoa). ...

Pseudoscorpions are generally beneficial to humans since they prey on clothes moth larvae, carpet beetle larvae, booklice, ants, mites, and small flies. They are small and inoffensive, and are rarely seen due to their size. They usually enter the home by "riding along" with larger insects, or are brought in with firewood. They are often observed in bathrooms or laundry rooms, since they seek humidity. They may sometimes be found feeding on mites under the wing covers of certain beetles. A moth is an insect closely related to the butterfly. ... Suborders Adephaga Archostemata Myxophaga Polyphaga See subgroups of the order Coleoptera Beetles are one of the most diverse groups of insects. ... Suborders Trogiomorpha (5 families) Troctomorpha (8 families) Psocomorpha (22 families) Psocoptera are an order of insects that are commonly known as booklice. ... Subfamilies Dorylomorph subfamilies Apomyrminae Cerapachyinae Dorylinae Ecitoninae Formicomorph subfamilies: Aneuretinae Dolichoderinae Formicinae - e. ... Families Tetranychidae - Spider mites Eriophyidae - Gall mites Sarcoptidae - Sarcoptic Mange mites The mites and ticks, order Acarina or Acari, belong to the Arachnida and are among the most diverse and successful of all the invertebrate groups, although some way behind the insects. ... Suborders Nematocera(Eudiptera) Brachycera Green Bottle Fly Flesh Fly Fannia a Lesser House Fly (unidentified species) Dolichopodidae (unidentified species) Diptera (di - two, ptera – wings), or true flies, is the order of insects in which the hind wings are reduced to halteres. ...

Geographical Distribution

There are more than 2,000 species of pseudoscorpions recorded, with more being discovered every day. They range worldwide, even in temperate to cold regions like Michigan and above timberline in Wyoming's Rocky Mountains in the United States, but have their most dense and diverse populations in the tropics and subtropics. Chelifer cancroides is the species most commonly found in homes. Other species have been found under tree bark, in leaf and pine litter, in soil, in tree hollows, under stones, in caves, at the seashore in the intertidal zone, and within fractured rocks. Official language(s) None (English, de-facto) Capital Largest city Lansing Detroit Area  - Total   - Width   - Length    - % water  - Latitude  - Longitude Ranked 10th 102,384 sq mi  265,172 km² 239 miles  385 km 491 miles  790 km 41. ... The tropics are the geographic region of the Earth centered on the equator and limited in latitude by the two tropics: the Tropic of Cancer in the north and the Tropic of Capricorn in the southern hemisphere. ...