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Hitchhikers
Since pseudoscorpions don't have wings, how are these tiny creatures able to travel great distances? The pseudoscorpion's secret is that it "hitchhikes" a ride on airborne insects such as flies, beetles, and wasps. They're sometimes even found on the bodies of birds and mammals. If a pseudoscorpion winds up in human cargo, it can travel thousands of miles in the air or by sea.
Scientific name: Dactylochelifer copiosus Hoff
Size: 2 to 8 millimeters long
Diet: other arthropods smaller than themselves
Habitat: in caves, under rocks, and in houses throughout the world (except for the Arctic)
Characteristics: tiny beige arachnid with long pincers or pedipalps
Significance: helps control insect pest populations
The poisonous substance in the claws of pseudoscorpions is called:
venom
blood
spit
Correct!
All arachnids, including the pseudoscorpion, use venom to kill and eat their prey. Venom causes an animal's insides to turn to liquid. Kind of like an insect milkshake! Most spider venom is harmless to humans.
Which statement is true about pseudoscorpions?
They have long fangs.
They have bad attitudes.
They have bad eyesight.
Correct!
Pseudoscorpions have poor vision. To find out when prey is near, they use little sensory hairs on their "hands" called pedipalps. When an insect brushes against one of the hairs, it triggers a reaction to grab the insect.
Pseudoscorpions are harmless to humans and can also be beneficial to us.
Fact
OR
Fiction
?
Fact
Pseudoscorpions feed on a variety of insects that are pests to humans, including moth larvae, small flies, and tiny arthropods called booklice.
The pseudoscorpion cannot walk backward.
Fact
OR
Fiction
?
Fiction
Using a crab-like walk, pseudoscorpions can travel backward or forward in any direction.