Harvestman

[Dannica]

Hi,
I saw two, what I think are Harvestmen, chilling on the wooden frame by the brassicas. Is this a usual stance for a harvestman to be in?
Ta,
D

[MattPrince]

Hello Dannica,

You are quite correct, this is indeed a harvestman, and this pose is how this species likes to hang out, sort of the splits times four!

Its a nice easy harvestman to identify - though not so easy to say - dicranopalpus ramosus - the first bit of its latin name refers to the way the palps look like they are split into two - which you can clearly see in your picture.

Cheers,
Matt

[Geoff F]

Yes, Dannica that is a distinctive species. The most difficult bit with identification is deciding if it is male or female. From what I can see I would suspect it is most likely female.

I usually get them in my garden but haven't found one yet this year.

They are a recent arrival from Morocco and are believed to have first been recorded in 1957.

[Dannica]

Ooh, thanks guys. I've often wondered about how many species of these there are. Whenever I've seen/heard someone identify or explain them to someone else, they're just referred to as a harvestman.

I did a bit of shrub shaking and found these two species; one with a bright reddish body and very black legs, and the other was more stumpy and coloured in pale browns.





I also did some sweep netting on a wild flower strip today, and found that not a single harvestman I picked up had any sign of velvet mite. Is it usual for them to be heavily infested in gardens with mixed cultivars, and comparatively unaffected out in the fields?

Thanks again,
D

[Geoff F]

Those photos aren't big enough to be certain of identification.

However, a small reddish orange body and very long legs is certainly a male of one of the Leiobunum species. I generally find that the dense black legs are more likely to be L. rotundum while brownish black legs suggest L. blackwalli.

But it needs a very close photo of the ocularium to separate the species for certain. Females have a more oval brownish coloured body.

The other animal is a bit more difficult. But the rather short legs and pale stripe along the body would make me think of Paroligolophus agrestis as my first choice.

The presence of mites is a bit variable but I normally find more in the woods than in my garden. They tend to get into the joints where the harvestman can't scrape them off.

Once you start looking for harvestmen you will keep finding them; particularly in damp shady areas with plenty of foliage cover. I get them amongst the leafy vegetables in my garden, so I have to be careful when weeding.

If you want to find out more about this family, have a look at this site.

http://sites.google.com/site/opilionesuk/

And if you get really keen on them I would recommend investing in a copy of British Harvestmen by P. D. Hillyard from the Field Studies Council.

[MattPrince]

..or you could dip your toes in the water with the 12 page laminated sheet from the FSC which is an excellent starting point for the harvestmen (some are easy to identify, some are very tricky, as a major character is the tiny tarsal claws which requires high magnification).

In any case its worth getting a x10 lens focussed on these little critters, especially if you happen on my personal favourite "megabunus diadema" - check out the turreted spiky eyes - wow.

Cheers,
Matt