Nature Note #184: A Little Visitor
Our houses are more lively than we sometimes expect. We invite small creatures to live in our midst by hanging feeders and nest boxes outside our homes and while some respectfully keep to themselves, others will overstep their welcome. I was burgled a few months ago by a squirrel I rescued from our dumpster and while T.S. (Trash Squirrel) only took an apple, it was still a crossing of barriers.
That squirrel's neighbors also engage in remodeling efforts on the eaves and walls of the apartment, chewing holes for access to the warmth within. Other animals like starlings and wasps take over these holes when the squirrels leave, raising their young in a prefabbed space. We have small visitors as well.
The occasional spider or beetle will accidentally find itself inside our apartment and it will be my job to gently escort them outside to the hallway or swiftly eject out of the window, depending on my mood. More than often than not, our home is plagued by fruit flies. They sit like fighter jets ready for take off at a moments notice and will expand their population to compensate for the abundance of bananas, grapes, and other soft fruits. My hands temporarily cast spells of wind and shadow over their resting places, causing momentary strife before they return to their landing zones as if nothing had disturbed them in the first place.
I found today's little visitor on the mattress. At first I was concerned I had been the victim of a tick and looked more closely at the number of legs it had. Four legs on either side of its body would suggest a spider, but the large pincers on the front suggested otherwise. While it has the appearance of a scorpion, this little creature is actually called a pseudoscorpion or bookscorpion (Chelifer cancroides). They are arachnids (members of the spider family) and are so small, it was little wonder I had mistaken this minute animal for a tick!
Most people after looking at this picture will hopefully feel curious about them and want to learn more. Undoubtedly though, there will be some that think they are creepy and should be done away with immediately. Let me tell both of those hypothetical groups of people that they, like all organisms on this planet, have a purpose that impacts their environment and survival and have a right to exist. The main reason I mention this is because they are important predators.
Now before you back into the corner maniacally spraying a can of Raid in all directions, while they are predators, they aren't after you! The one I found was barely 1/4 cm long so the likelihood of it taking you down is slim. These micropredators hunt creatures we might not even know live among us and are especially keen about capturing dust mites and booklice. Yes, you read that correctly.
BOOKLICE!!!
Unlike the nits and cooties that will cause panic to parents and teachers alike, booklice are really small. They are as long as a penny is wide and aren't even related to head lice. They prefer the dusty pages of books (hence their namesake), wallpaper, and other flat surfaces. Despite being innocuous to us humans, their presence doesn't go unnoticed by the pseudoscorpions. After capturing their prey in their pincers, these tiny hunters will liquefy the innards of their prey before consuming it. It seems likely that the one that was on my mattress was only interested in tracking down a new meal to feast on.
I didn't want to evict my little friend, so I gently scooped it onto a piece of paper and brought it to the plant-laden windowsill in the living room. Carefully, I tapped the edge of the paper causing the minute arachnid to tumble down next to the lavender and scurry off towards the window. Hopefully they would find something good to eat there while I finished cleaning the apartment.
I haven't seen my little companion since, but I know that somewhere over there, they're hunting the book defiling lice and mites that if left unchecked, might reduce my beloved literary collection to dust. Then the mites would eat that too. I'm honored to have such a tiny roommate living with me and hope that they will make themselves at home.
Resources
1. Jacobs, S.B. (2016, January) Pseudoscorpions. Retrieved from http://ento.psu.edu/extension/factsheets/pdf/pseudoscorpions.pdf
2. Crew, B. (2014, August 24) How Do Book Scorpions Tend Your Dusty Tomes. Retrieved from http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/running-ponies/how-book-scorpions-tend-to-your-dusty-tomes/
3. Jacobs, S.B. (2014, January) Booklice. Retrieved from http://ento.psu.edu/extension/factsheets/pdf/booklice.pdf
That squirrel's neighbors also engage in remodeling efforts on the eaves and walls of the apartment, chewing holes for access to the warmth within. Other animals like starlings and wasps take over these holes when the squirrels leave, raising their young in a prefabbed space. We have small visitors as well.
The occasional spider or beetle will accidentally find itself inside our apartment and it will be my job to gently escort them outside to the hallway or swiftly eject out of the window, depending on my mood. More than often than not, our home is plagued by fruit flies. They sit like fighter jets ready for take off at a moments notice and will expand their population to compensate for the abundance of bananas, grapes, and other soft fruits. My hands temporarily cast spells of wind and shadow over their resting places, causing momentary strife before they return to their landing zones as if nothing had disturbed them in the first place.
I found today's little visitor on the mattress. At first I was concerned I had been the victim of a tick and looked more closely at the number of legs it had. Four legs on either side of its body would suggest a spider, but the large pincers on the front suggested otherwise. While it has the appearance of a scorpion, this little creature is actually called a pseudoscorpion or bookscorpion (Chelifer cancroides). They are arachnids (members of the spider family) and are so small, it was little wonder I had mistaken this minute animal for a tick!
Most people after looking at this picture will hopefully feel curious about them and want to learn more. Undoubtedly though, there will be some that think they are creepy and should be done away with immediately. Let me tell both of those hypothetical groups of people that they, like all organisms on this planet, have a purpose that impacts their environment and survival and have a right to exist. The main reason I mention this is because they are important predators.
Now before you back into the corner maniacally spraying a can of Raid in all directions, while they are predators, they aren't after you! The one I found was barely 1/4 cm long so the likelihood of it taking you down is slim. These micropredators hunt creatures we might not even know live among us and are especially keen about capturing dust mites and booklice. Yes, you read that correctly.
BOOKLICE!!!
Unlike the nits and cooties that will cause panic to parents and teachers alike, booklice are really small. They are as long as a penny is wide and aren't even related to head lice. They prefer the dusty pages of books (hence their namesake), wallpaper, and other flat surfaces. Despite being innocuous to us humans, their presence doesn't go unnoticed by the pseudoscorpions. After capturing their prey in their pincers, these tiny hunters will liquefy the innards of their prey before consuming it. It seems likely that the one that was on my mattress was only interested in tracking down a new meal to feast on.
I didn't want to evict my little friend, so I gently scooped it onto a piece of paper and brought it to the plant-laden windowsill in the living room. Carefully, I tapped the edge of the paper causing the minute arachnid to tumble down next to the lavender and scurry off towards the window. Hopefully they would find something good to eat there while I finished cleaning the apartment.
I haven't seen my little companion since, but I know that somewhere over there, they're hunting the book defiling lice and mites that if left unchecked, might reduce my beloved literary collection to dust. Then the mites would eat that too. I'm honored to have such a tiny roommate living with me and hope that they will make themselves at home.
Resources
1. Jacobs, S.B. (2016, January) Pseudoscorpions. Retrieved from http://ento.psu.edu/extension/factsheets/pdf/pseudoscorpions.pdf
2. Crew, B. (2014, August 24) How Do Book Scorpions Tend Your Dusty Tomes. Retrieved from http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/running-ponies/how-book-scorpions-tend-to-your-dusty-tomes/
3. Jacobs, S.B. (2014, January) Booklice. Retrieved from http://ento.psu.edu/extension/factsheets/pdf/booklice.pdf
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