Woodlice

JRsbugs · #1 (**permalink**) 18-12-2008, 04:40 PM

Hi,

I took a few pics of a family of woodlice under the bark of the same log I found the harvetman on. Most look to be different ages of Porcellio scaber. The very colourful one with the group has a black head, I got more shots of some individuals but that one had dropped and I didn't look where to, lol. I didn't move the bark elsewhere so as to preserve their 'home' and there was lots of leaves etc around.

The pic will enlarge more to get a closer look.

Janet

Gerel · #2 (**permalink**) 18-12-2008, 10:48 PM

Hi Janet,

I think woodlice/woodlouses (?) may be a group to take more interest in, I must admit that I've never really looked at them at all beyond finding pill woodlice quite fun. Hadn't even thought, until very recently, about how many species there are. I guess it's one of those things that you tend to think are so familiar you dismiss them.

Interesting stuff,

Steve

JRsbugs · #3 (**permalink**) 18-12-2008, 11:06 PM

Hi Steve,

My interest was recently accelerated by the lovely big shiny, black Pill Woodlouse I found. Now I'm looking at all the 'low life' which we might have thought once not worth bothering with! I'm actually starting to find them to be quite cute!

Janet

Gerel · #4 (**permalink**) 18-12-2008, 11:19 PM

I totally agree, there's a lot of "weird and wonderful" living in the leaf litter. Pseudoscorpions are my mission for 2009. I can't find a single image of one in the Gallery (of course that could be my search skills).

Steve

JRsbugs · #5 (**permalink**) 18-12-2008, 11:43 PM

I just googled 'Pseudoscorpion' for the UK only and found some great sites!

Find britishspiders.org.uk then go to 'Links' choosing 'Arachnological Links'. Choose 'ARACHNOLOGY The study of arachnids' and you will find lots to look at. There is a list to choose from by Order, each page has plenty of links!

Do we have many of these? I have never seen one, time I did!

Gerel · #6 (**permalink**) 18-12-2008, 11:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JRsbugs

I just googled 'Pseudoscorpion' for the UK only and found some great sites!

Find britishspiders.org.uk then go to 'Links' choosing 'Arachnological Links'. Choose 'ARACHNOLOGY The study of arachnids' and you will find lots to look at. There is a list to choose from by Order, each page has plenty of links!

Do we have many of these? I have never seen one, time I did!

Yeah they are fascinating mini beasts, I believe there are 27 UK species, they are quite common in leaf litter and detritus but are really easy to overlook.They hitch rides on larger invertebrates in order to get about (there is a technical word for this but it's late

) There really ought to be some in the WAB Gallery.

Steve

Pudding4brains · #7 (**permalink**) 19-12-2008, 12:35 AM

Hey you guys! Now don't start shying away from Woodlice toward Pseudoscorpions just when I thought I had you brainwashed!

Janet's Woodlice are mostly Porcellio scaber, just the more colourful one in the bottom group is Philoscia muscorum.

Now, that level of ID-ing ease and certainty you're not going to get with Pseudoscorpions from a picture like that, and that's a dead solemn promise!

Not only are they much smaller, but it seems they're also quite hard to ID without pulling them apart (exceptions excepted). You'll find a PDF-key to the Dutch species here and an English languae article on the Dutch Dactylochelifer here.

But okay, yes, your right of course - they're (also

) fascinating and cute little creatures. The "hitching rides" is called phoresy and is probably best known from other Arachnids - Mites - hitching rides on Beetles etc. The key linked above has a nice image of a Pseudoscorpion hitching a ride with a Cranefly, and there are some images here of them hanging on to other Dipterans

Cheers, Arp

P.S. Ahw yes - almost forgot - here is a phoretic Mite hitching a ride on a Pseudoscorpion. Now, assuming the Pseudoscorpion would hitch a ride with a Fly or so, while the Mite is still on it ... would that be "hyper-phorecy"

JRsbugs · #8 (**permalink**) 19-12-2008, 01:03 AM

Don't worry Arp, Woodlice rule!

Well, until I start finding those little Pseudoscorpions, then there might be some rivalry.

I had thought the black headed one was Philoscia muscorum, that's my first official find!

But what was it doing amongst the Porcellio scaber family, could it be an orphan taken in under the protective care of it's relative? There was only a few altogether and I didn't see any more of those.

Very interesting pics in your links, I take pics of flies too so I may just get one that way!

Gerel · #9 (**permalink**) 19-12-2008, 01:23 AM

Sorry sir, went off on a tangent sir

Mea culpa, mea maxima culpa.

(mind you next pseudo I find I'm starting a new thread

, though it may have to wait a bit since I've only found them during summer to date.)

Thanks Arp Phoresy is the word I could'nt remember.Do mites have exo-parasites to give hyper-hyper-phoresy?

I'm going to have to look for some woodlice tomorrow, aren't I to make up for the digression.

Cheers all

Steve

ps. thanks for the links, I think I'll try to get some general pics for the time being. Pulling them apart for ID just to satisfy my curiosity seems a bit unnecessary.