A species of Pseudoscorpion, found in Britain living in
mosses and leaf litter, mostly in woodland. There are 25 species found in
Britain. Although they are related to scorpions, they have no stinging tail and grow
no larger than about 5mm in length. However, they do have comparatively large
pincers which they hold out in front of their bodies. They hunt their prey within
leaf litter and carpets of moss, catching it with their pincers and then injecting it with
poison. They have 8 legs, making them arachnids, like spiders. Much of their
behaviour is scorpion like, the courtship of male and female involves a dance as the male
and female lock their pincers together. Females are guided over sperm which is
deposited on the ground by the male. The female raises the young in a small sac
attached to her underside. They feed on a milk-like secretion from their mother
before crawling out of the sac and onto the body of the female where they will be carried
around by her. Some species distribute themselves widely by crawling onto passing
flying insect's legs. They do not hurt their insect host in the process, they simply
get a free ride to a new location!
Although Pseudoscorpions are
related to scorpions, they are in a different group. There are no native scorpions
living in Britain, however in Kent there is a small colony of Euscorpius flavicaudis,
a mediterranean species.
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