False Scorpion
(Pseudoscorpianes neobisium)

The pseudoscorpian or false scorpion is a tiny arachnid that lives under soil, leaf litter, logs, and rocks on the forest floor. Although people don't see them very often, scientists know of over 2,000 species that live throughout the world. They are usually very small, about 0.04 to .025 inches long. They have two main body parts. Their abdomens are oval shaped with many ridges running across it. Their cephalothorax, which is a fancy way of saying head and chest, is covered with a hard shell called a carapace.

Like spiders, pseudoscorpians have eight walking legs. They also have two arms in the front called pedipalps with claws on the ends that help the pseudoscorpian eat and grasp things. These pinchers have small poison glands that they use to paralyze their prey so they can catch and eat them. Unlike real scorpions, they do not have a tail with a stinger on it, but people think the claws make them look similar.

Pseudoscorpians are predators that feed on small insects and arthropods. Besides living in leaf litter and rotting logs, they sometimes can be found in nests of birds and rodents where they eat insects that gather there. Occasionally, they ride on large beetles and insects and eat mites that live there. They are also known to build nests out of silk to protect them during winter or during molting.

The pseudoscorpian reproduces by producing eggs in sac attached to the female. These sacs hold between 30 and 50 eggs, but not all usually survive. The young molt or shed their skin three times before becoming adults. They can live for up to five years. They are harmless to humans and animals.

To find out more about pseudoscorpians, check out the following links:

Everything About: http://www.everythingabout.net/articles/biology/animals/arthropods/
arachnids/pseudoscorpion/

Texas Agriculture Extension:
http://insects.tamu.edu/images/insects/fieldguide/cimg375.html

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