Dune Pseudoscorpion
The dune pseudoscorpion (Dactylochelifer latreillii) is a pseudoscorpion that lives in sand dunes and coastal habitats in Europe. It is a few millimeters long.
The dune pseudoscorpion (Dactylochelifer latreillii) is a pseudoscorpion that lives in sand dunes and coastal habitats in Europe. It is a few millimeters long.
🧬 Field Guide Specimen: Open Dune Pseudoscorpion in the CRV Science Field Guide to log the specimen, see its place among the Ecdysozoa lineages in the Cladogram Explorer, and test your recall in the Red List conservation game.
Life Among the Dunes
The tiny predator hunts under driftwood, among marram grass roots and in sandy turf for small insects and mites. Dune habitats are fragile and often threatened by development.
Hitching Rides
Some pseudoscorpions hitch rides on flies or beetles (phoresy) to disperse to new sites. This lets small, wingless animals colonize isolated patches.
Courtship Dance
The male deposits a stalked sperm packet on the ground and guides the female over it. See Moss Pseudoscorpion.
Dune Pseudoscorpion at a Glance
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Scientific name | Dactylochelifer latreillii |
| Kingdom | Animalia |
| Phylum | Arthropoda |
| Class | Arachnida |
| Order | Pseudoscorpiones |
| Family | Cheliferidae |
| Field Guide group | Ecdysozoa: Arachnida (Spiders, Scorpions & Allies) |
| Diagnostic feature (Field Guide) | Tiny reddish-brown arachnid with long, dark, slender pincers containing venom glands; hunts springtails among dune grass and under bark. |
| Order | Pseudoscorpiones |
| Habitat | Coastal dunes |
See Also
- Moss Pseudoscorpion — a woodland pseudoscorpion
- Book Scorpion — a household pseudoscorpion