#pseudoscorpionida

[i-rate-ecoregions]

What's so amazing about these guys is that they are Phoretic, which means that they literally just hitch rides on other insects.

I realise I spelled pseudo wrong.

[astronomy-to-zoology]

Neobisium maritimum

...a species of pseudoscorpion that is  distributed throughout the western coasts of the British Isles. N.maritimum is typically found in rock crevices and under stones in the supralittoral zone. There it will feed mostly on springtails and other small littoral arthropods. N.maritiumum will build a silken nest in the crevices it inhabits, which hold air pockets when submerged allowing the pseudoscorpion to survive high tides.

Phylogeny

Animalia-Arthropoda-Chelicerata-Arachnida-Pseudoscorpionida-Neobisiidae-Neobisium-N.maritimum

Images: Steve Trewhella

[astronomy-to-zoology]

Tartarocreagris texana

...is a species of troglobitic pseduoscorpion that is endemic to Texas, where it is only known from two caves in Travis County. T.texana spends its entire live inside subterranean caves and as an adaptation it is eyeless. T.texana's diet consists mostly of small arthropods which are caught with its pincers.

Due to its extremely limited habitat T.texana is federally listed as endangered in the United States.

Phylogeny

Animalia-Arthropoda-Chelicerata-Arachnida-Pseudoscorpionida-Neobisiidae-Tartarocreagris-T.texana

Image: Piershendrie

[astronomy-to-zoology]

Chelifer cancroides

...is a small species of pseudoscorpion native to parts of Northeastern North America. Nicknamed the house pseudoscorpion or book scorpion C.cancroides like other pseudoscorpion species frequents areas that human occupy, like books and other places that small insects are likely to be found. They will feed on common households pests like carpet beetles, moth larvae and mites, using their large chelicerae to poison and rip open its catch and suck its bodily fluids out. Although their pedipalps are poisonous they pose no threat to humans and do more good than harm. Their small size allows them to hitch "rides" on flying insects to disperse themselves and they can commonly be seen on flies.

Phylogeny

Animalia-Athropoda-Arachnida-Dromopoda-Pseudoscorpionida-Cheliferoidea-Cheliferidae-Chelifer-cancroides

Image Source(s)