House pseudoscorpions are minute arthropods that superficially resemble scorpions, though they lack the scorpion’s elongate abdomen and terminal sting.
Pseudoscorpions are found crawling on bookshelves and walls, often remaining hidden during the day behind wood trim or at the junction where countertops meet the wall. My students often find pseudoscorpions in sinks or bathtubs, into which they fall and have difficulty escaping.
House pseudoscorpions are entirely beneficial, eating small mites and insects. They find their prey primarily by touch, capturing it with highly sensitive primitive claws. Each claw is comprised of two”fingers” – one of them movable – and poison glands.
We empty our kitchen compost bin once or twice a day during the summer. Even so, this little pseudoscorpion will be a spectacular biological control agent, consuming tiny compost-associated flies that come in through the windows screens. Can’t beat that!
[…] This year’s kitchen arthropods included this beautiful pseudoscorpion (Chelifer cancroides). Original link – “House pseudoscorpion (Chelifer cancroides) in our kitchen“ […]