Chelifer sp.
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I've seen them in the oak tree behind my NYC apartment! It's the tree with SEVEN species of ants. That tree is a whole forest in a little square cut out of the sidewalk.
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They aren't exactly rare, just more cryptic. But look in cracks of bark in any place rich with other insects.
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I've seen them in the oak tree behind my NYC apartment! It's the tree with SEVEN species of ants. That tree is a whole forest in a little square cut out of the sidewalk.
@futurebird @vikxin @ryanhodnett you are so lucky!
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They aren't exactly rare, just more cryptic. But look in cracks of bark in any place rich with other insects.
@futurebird @ryanhodnett oh I'm sure, I just don't have the vision of an eagle. That said, growing up I seemed to be the only one who noticed the tiny red mites everywhere, but...they're also bright red.
They moved too fast for me to count the legs with how small they were so I wasn't sure if they were insects or arachnids for years! I ended up grabbing one and putting it on a microscope slide so I could count the legs while it was stationary. I'm still not sure the species, either.
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Really the reason people don't see them is they are SO TINY. They are not kidding about that "smaller than a grain of rice" stuff. I only see them when I'm observing the smallest ants. And they are smaller.
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Really the reason people don't see them is they are SO TINY. They are not kidding about that "smaller than a grain of rice" stuff. I only see them when I'm observing the smallest ants. And they are smaller.
They are also little sneaks that work in packs. I observed about five of them packed into a crack in the bark of the oak tree. They grabbed at every insect that walked by... Including ants! And very few arthropods will mess with ants.
They caught some kind of little beetle as a group and pulled it into their little crack house.
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@futurebird @vikxin @ryanhodnett you are so lucky!
@MishaVanMollusq @futurebird @vikxin I've only seen them two other times. All three times were indoors just walking across the floor or wall. Would love to see one outdoors.
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They are also little sneaks that work in packs. I observed about five of them packed into a crack in the bark of the oak tree. They grabbed at every insect that walked by... Including ants! And very few arthropods will mess with ants.
They caught some kind of little beetle as a group and pulled it into their little crack house.
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@guyjantic @vikxin @ryanhodnett
I thought about rewording it... then thought about how they live and said... nah. That's how the ants probably see their little den so it's fair.
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@MishaVanMollusq @futurebird @vikxin I've only seen them two other times. All three times were indoors just walking across the floor or wall. Would love to see one outdoors.
@ryanhodnett @MishaVanMollusq @futurebird @vikxin eek! It looks like a cross between a bed bug and a scorpion!
nope. Nope. Nope. No thank you. -
@ryanhodnett @MishaVanMollusq @futurebird @vikxin eek! It looks like a cross between a bed bug and a scorpion!
nope. Nope. Nope. No thank you.@ironcladlou @ryanhodnett @MishaVanMollusq @vikxin
They are tiny, live in bark outside and can't pinch or sting or bite a human. Ants have reasons to dislike them. But people can think they are cute and sneaky.
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@ryanhodnett @MishaVanMollusq @futurebird @vikxin eek! It looks like a cross between a bed bug and a scorpion!
nope. Nope. Nope. No thank you.@ironcladlou @ryanhodnett @MishaVanMollusq @vikxin
Basically they are safe to pick up (they will sit on you and enjoy the warmth of your finger... but mostly they hide)
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@ryanhodnett @MishaVanMollusq @futurebird @vikxin eek! It looks like a cross between a bed bug and a scorpion!
nope. Nope. Nope. No thank you.@ironcladlou @ryanhodnett @MishaVanMollusq @futurebird they actually eat pests, and are beneficial to e.g. libraries since they eat detritivores like booklice.
