Two Harvestmen requiring ID help

[Geoff F]

In a fairly small coastal S. Devon wood.



I am tentatively considering Mitopus morio for this one. Body about 6 mm with moderately long legs (2nd leg approx 40 mm).

And I find this specimen even more confusing.



The best I can think of, is Opilio parietinus but I don't have a lot of confidence in that. There is only a tiny piece of the lower surface visible and it does have a bit of a brownish mark. But that hardly constitutes a confirmed ID.

Large size with a body around 8 mm and legs probably 50 mm (2nd leg).

So any other suggestions would be welcomed.

[Action_Man]

The 1st one does look like a good candidate for Mitopus morio, the saddle looks right, the small and wide apart trident/spines look right also, it would be nice though to see a top-down shot if you have one ?.

The 2nd is more difficult, as this is quite a rare find, if it is in fact Opilio parietinus, i have been quite privileged to find one, last year i think.
As i remember, Arp asked me to see if it had spots under the coxa, now for me, that wasn't a problem, as i had it in captivity, i dont think you`ll have that luxury.
Anyway, have a look at some images of the one i found, and a video on YouTube, and see what you think, and if you have any more images, post them .

https://sites.google.com/site/opilio...lio-parietinus

YouTube - Opilio parietinus - Canon HR10

[Geoff F]

Thanks for that, Gordon. Two unusual varieties and I have managed to photograph and possibly identify both of them - Wow!

Tomorrow, I will sort out some other angles and see what I can find but they were both between leaves so I didn't get much opportunity to move around.

Incidentally, while working in my garden today, without my glasses I saw what I thought was a female Leiobunum rotundum sitting on a leaf. It hadn't moved 15 minutes later so I thought I would get the camera just to check if it was really L. blackwalli. And in reality, it turned into a rather plain marked male Phalangium opilio!

And the real treat of today was my first Dicranopalpus ramosus for this year. So that is 3 years running that they have been seen in my garden. Hopefully, they are becoming well established here now.

[Action_Man]

If you can create suitable habitat, and they will return, i just a have a few strips of wood placed against a north facing wall, at a slight angle so they can clamber under it, it really needs to be a sunless moist area ...

[Geoff F]

Here are a couple of extra photos but I don't think they will add much extra information.



I do have a couple of shady spots with mature shrubs for cover that my Harvestmen appear to like, and, earlier in the year, I often find some juveniles (unidentified) running around under suitable leafy plants in my nearby vegetable plot.

But I will add a few suitable wooden hideaways as well.

[Geoff F]

And Tormentil also has a couple of Harvestmen here Harvestman ID which are confusing me.

One does rather look like another Mitopus morio but I'm not at all certain on either of them.