Two 'Pseudoscorpions' Discovered in Grand Canyon Cave

Two Scorpion-like creatures have been discovered in the Grand Canyon; they are touted as a new species of Scorpion:

"To confirm the scorpion lookalikes were a new species, the team had to take them back to a taxonomic specialist, who analyzed all the details of the species and pored over all the existing data on similar species. In this case, the team found that one of the species had a thickened pair of legs and a mound on the pincer, while another had a much deeper pincer than other pseudoscorpions — qualifying each as a distinct species, study co-author Mark Harvey, senior curator at the Western Australian Museum in Perth, said in an email."

Add to this that these creatures are blind and have no vevomous stinger on their tail; instead, these creatures have poisonous pincers to immobilize their prey.

Two new species of so-called pseudoscorpions have been discovered in a cave on the northern rim of the Grand Canyon. The elusive creatures, which have adapted to their lightless environment by losing their eyes, were discovered in Grand Canyon-Parashant National Monument, which abuts the better-known Grand Canyon National Park. Instead, the arachnids use venom-packed stingers in their pincers to immobilize their prey, study author J. Judson Wynne, an assistant research professor in the Department of Biological Sciences at Northern Arizona University, in Flagstaff, wrote in an email. The tiny cave where the team discovered the new species — just 250 feet (76 meters) in length — nevertheless supports the highest diversity of cave-adapted arthropods of any known cave in the Grand Canyon-Parashant National Monument,

Interesting, ATS??

us-mg6.mail.yahoo.com...

Interesting but I have no yahoo account or interest in getting one in order to see the link.

originally posted by: the owlbear
Interesting but I have no yahoo account or interest in getting one in order to see the link.

My thoughts exactly. Thread flagged, I eagerly await embedded pics

a reply to: lostbook

Your Link sends me to email...

Here's an accessible link:
uk.news.yahoo.com...

I live in the land of scorpions and these guys look creepy to me...

Found another link on LiveScience:

Venomous pincers instead of tails, how cool! www.livescience.com...a reply to: lostbook

originally posted by: lostbook
Two Scorpion-like creatures have been discovered in the Grand Canyon; they are touted as a new species of Scorpion:

Interesting, ATS??

us-mg6.mail.yahoo.com...

I'm personally a firm believer than human beings are much more simple and ignorant than we seem, even in the extent of the fullest of our knowledge, science, and technology.

Admittedly there's a little part in my (bitter) soul that feels like a kid learning something new and exciting when I hear about the discovery of any new types of species or unknown variations in nature.

Cool...looks like a cross between a roach and a scorpion. Neat find!

a reply to: FamCore

Looks more like a tick that has adapted up, rather than a scorpion that has adapted down.

Cheers - Dave

originally posted by: Vasa Croe
Cool...looks like a cross between a roach and a scorpion. Neat find!

I was going to say a Mormon cricket on steroids..
Or a really mean @ss Tick!

Nice find ...
~nightmare fuel... checking shoes

Come on people, nearly a page in and no one has posted the pics?

Here we are...




Nasty little critters to be sure..

Seems they were discovered 8 or 9 years ago, from the link,

The researchers first discovered the two false scorpions during expeditions in a cave along the north rim of the Grand Canyon, between 2005 and 2007. But it took years before the team identified the species as unique. "Contrary to popular belief, rarely are we in the field, collect an animal and then brandish our grubby field flasks of whiskey to toast a new species discovery," Wynne told Live Science in an email. To confirm the scorpion lookalikes were a new species, the team had to take them back to a taxonomic specialist, who analyzed all the details of the species and pored over all the existing data on similar species. In this case, the team found that one of the species had a thickened pair of legs and a mound on the pincer, while another had a much deeper pincer than other pseudoscorpions — qualifying each as a distinct species, study co-author Mark Harvey, senior curator at the Western Australian Museum in Perth, said in an email. The creatures, dubbed Hesperochernes bradybaughii and Tuberochernes cohni, respectively, are about 0.12 inches (3 millimeters) long and feed on tiny invertebrates, including springtails, book lice, mites and possibly cricket nymphs. Many of their prey are just one-fourth the length of a grain of rice.

They are tiny! 3 millimetres long!

Pseudo-scorpions are freaks bugs.

I've found a few of them over the years crawling on walls.
The first time I found one I didn't know what it was, and had to go look them up cause I thought they were some sort of tick.
They are very small and a lot more common than people think, but because of their size, you don't see them around even though they are there.

Cool about finding a new species, but there are probably many more just crawling around your house than you realize.
Probably new species too.

s&f for a creepy critter that really is harmless and actually helpful.
They prefer dust mites.