#Pseudoscorpiones

[creatureimages]

looking under bark of dead wood when it can't be replaced is usually habitat destruction and is a personal big no-no. but since firewood's going to be burned regardless, peeling back bark and looking underneath lets me see some pseudoscorpions!!!!!!! (and lets me transfer them to some wood that's not going to be burned or put their wood aside)

[platycryptus]

gifs of various pseudoscorpions

[reanimateobjects]

[cnestus]

GRABBED

[highwaytohellgrammite]

Been a while since I got to see one of these critters.

[arachnidappreciation]

like spiders, pseudoscorpions excrete silk to create cocoon-like structures that protect them from the elements while molting, mating. and overwintering. unlike spiders, whose silk is produced by spinnerets in the abdomen, pseudoscorpions spin silk from glands in their jaws.

pseudoscorpion in its silk retreat, protecting itself from the wet environment (source)

this behavior appears to be universal among pseudoscorpions, and is utilized particularly frequently by the marine pseudoscorpion Neobisium maritimum

[lisboy]

food and bugs journal

[morbidsmenagerie]

Finally got pseudoscorpions! I've been looking for these guys for a long time! Truly an amazing arachnid order.

[vintagewildlife]

Various microscopic arthropods, from left to right, starting with the top row: Osmylops larva, Eubrianax larva, Staphylinidae beetle, Anoplura louse, pseudoscorpion By: Edward S. Ross From: Insects Close Up 1953

[onenicebugperday]

Katydid with phoretic pseudoscorpion

Phoresy is a behavior seen in some species of pseudoscorpions (and other organisms) in which one animal uses another (usually larger) animal for transportation to new resources but does not harm it.

Photographed in Singapore by Nicky Bay // Website // Facebook

Shared with permission; do not remove credit or re-post!

[apsciencebydan]

Little side benefits of poking through sand and detritus in Florida sandhill: a pink-armed pinchy child (Chernetidae pseudoscorpion) may appear. Such a handsome species. 🩷

[bugkeeping]

A dobsonfly and her little pseudoscorpion buddy.

[cnestus]

assorted creatures i saw at work

[bowelfly]

5th batch of bug doodle commissions DONE

i'll probably raise the price to $5 per doodle soon because i keep accidentally putting more work into these than i'm supposed to but in the meantime you can still throw any multiple of $4 at my ko-fi to get that many bug doodles in return

[amnhnyc]

Bibliophiles, watch out: You might spot this critter crawling across your page the next time you're reading. Also known as “book scorpions,” pseudoscorpions are tiny arachnids that feed on booklice and dust mites… which can often be found in the pages of old books. Pseudoscorpions range in size from a mere .08 in (2 mm) to .31 in (8 mm) and are harmless to humans. While they have scorpion-like pincers, they lack the stinger of true scorpions.

Photo: schneehagen, CC BY-SA 4.0, iNaturalist