Pseudoscorpions

Arthropoda -> Chelicerata -> Arachnida -> Pseudoscorpionida

These charismatic Arachnids resemble their true-scorpion relatives, but lack the stinging tail. Pseudoscorpions are fierce (but small) predators, found in a variety of habitats, including soil and decaying plant material. Their pincers (‘pedipalps’) are used to catch and inject an immobilising venom into their prey - unfortunate small invertebrates including springtails, mites and insects, which subsequently get covered in digestive fluid and ingested. If you’re very lucky, you might one day notice a pseudoscorpion clinging to a larger creature with its pedipalps. Don’t worry, it hasn’t been overly ambitious when out hunting - rather, it is cheekily hitchhiking a ride to a new habitat (a scientific term called ‘phoresy’). Over 3,000 species of pseudoscorpion have been described by science so far, with 29 species found in Britain and Ireland to-date. More information, including a species checklist can be found on the British Arachnological Society’s Pseudoscorpion Recorders Group page and on Dr Gerald Legg’s website.