Not seen one of these before

[cendoubleu]

There I was minding my own business picking runner beans when I noticed a spider on one of the canes. Initially I mistook it for a mark on the canes until looking closer. Now I am not very 'up' on spiders but after having looked at Index of /Spiders I believe it to be Dicranopalpus ramosus. I had to get a magnifying glass to look at it it was so tiny (well apart from the legs) and was suprised to see almost lobster-like pincers at the front. Even my daughter, who is scared to death of spiders, had a good look at it. I am assuming that these, being part of the harvestman family, are quite common. I guess due to there size, one doesn't see them very often.

[Meta menardi]

Dicranopalpus ramosus is quite large and certainly would not look like a mark on a cane. I suspect you may have seen a pseudoscorpion, not uncommon but very easy to overlook. Search for it on the internet, the size matches your description. If search in the WAB Gallery There is a picture of Dicranopalpus ramosus I posted up ages ago, you should be able to judge the size from that.

[cendoubleu]

I had a quick look at the pseudoscorpion and it was nothing like this. I looked up Dicranopalpus ramosus but of course there were no dimensions. For the one I saw, the body would be approx 2mm, with legs around 25-30mm. It also sported these, as I say, almost lobster like pincers but elongated. The body markings were as per D. ramosus. I missed it because a) the body was small and b) the legs were so well camouflaged against the cane. It initially looked like a crack in the cane. If it isn't D. ramosus, is there another spider like this which fits the bill with the above dimensions?

[Geoff F]

D. ramosus has a body length around 4 to 6 mm and very long legs about 40 to 50 mm each, not overall width.

They often sit with their legs fully stretched out on each side which makes them easy to identify.

Females seem to be mostly greyish while males can have a brighter silvery or pale yellowish body with a dark 'saddle' running down their backs.

They are mostly a southern species although a few appear to be spreading northwards. I don't know if northern specimens are slightly smaller. I get a few in my garden but I'm in the 'far south'.

They certainly have distinctive pedipalps which I suppose could seem like 'claws'.

There are several other species of harvestman which have rather shorter legs but I can't think of any which have such distinctive 'claw like' appendages. Although some have much smaller appendages.

There is some additional information here http://sites.google.com/site/opilion...lpus-ramosus-1

[Meta menardi]

Well, we had to think about what else it could be. Is this what you saw?


The background is lap fencing, which might help you guage scale.

Until quite recntly, this Opilione was quite uncommon, and tha photo was the first record for the area. It does seem to be quite common now, I have seen it in South Cumbria living (apparently) outside, so it does seem happy here.