A Dark-clawed Chthonid: a Pseudoscorpion

[Harold Gough]

I was in local woods yesterday, collecting slime moulds.

I used some leaf litter to pack around the samples, to prevent damage in transit. Today, when I was photographing one of them, this pseudoscorpion emerged from the litter and moved across our kitchen (aka studio) work surface. I got one shot there and more when I got it to climb onto a dead leaf.

They merge in very well into the background and move very fast when they do move.

This one was of typical size, around 2mm. I had the lens set for larger things so I had to crop quite severely. Fortunately I was using flash.

Pseudoscorpions are arachnids, as are real scorpions, but they lack a sting. They prey on small insects, catching them with their palp fingers (claws).

Olympus EM-1, (manual mode), Olympus m4/3 30mm f3.5 ED macro, f11 ISO 250, twin flash, hand-held.

Harold

[MJ224]

Well seen, on your hands and knees again??

[Harold Gough]

Thanks. No. I was seated on a kitchen stool.

Harold

[wornish]

Well done in the circumstances. If they were bigger they would be quite scary.

[alfbranch]

Very nice Harold. I have yet to find one but have told to poke around in more leaf litter.

[Harold Gough]

Thanks, Dave and Alf.

I would prefer them to be bigger, from a photographic point of view, provided that their running speed did not increase proportionately.

Alf, you are unlikely to find them exposed, more likely hiding, perhaps under bark. I have only ever fund 3 or 4 and I frequently lift bark (last 4-5 years) to look for slime moulds.

I believe I sill have this one captive, in a plastic sealed box. If so, I will try some more shots them release it.

Harold