# Opilionides



## brachy (Oct 5, 2006)

Hi

Very interesting and quite dangereous animals from Chile


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## Stefan2209 (Oct 5, 2006)

brachy said:


> Hi
> 
> Very interesting and quite dangereous animals from Chile


Hi,

interesting, of course.

Dangerous? For who or better: for what?

Greetings,

Stefan


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## jimmysp4des (Oct 5, 2006)

cool, could you tell us a little more about what were looking at though?


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## brachy (Oct 5, 2006)

Hi

They have toxin which name is cantaridin.  This toxin is quite agressive toxin. The toxin have protein which  blocked the neurotamits which sending informations between of neurons. The second broblem is, when  one cell inficated whit this toxin after that it will make this toxin too.


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## Gigas (Oct 5, 2006)

Crazy looking arachnid! do you have any more info on these?


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## lucanidae (Oct 5, 2006)

I think you might be overestimating the power of that animal.

From Tom Eisner's (who is a genius) newest book, "Secret Weapons, Defenses of Insects, Spiders, Scorpions, and Other Many-Legged Creatures"

Chapter 2, Order Opiliones Family Cosmetidae (which is the family pictured above)

"It has neither venom glands nor the means to inject enom. Instead, when distubred, it mixes oral effluent with the noxious products of two exocrine glands, then brushes the mixture onto the enemy with its forelegs." (Eisner 7)

"These chemical have been analyzed and found to be two quinones." (Eisner 8)

" (Opilionids) principal enemies are ants. In laboratory experiments ants have been shown to be highly sensitive to the repellent properties of benzoquinones and to be effectively brushed off." (Eisner 8)

"It has been estimated that with replete glands and a full load of gut fluid a V. sayi (Cosmetidae) can fend off as many as 55 individual ant assualts." (Eisner 9)

"Bensoquinone productions appears to be widespread among the group, and so may be the habit of using gut fluid for dulituion of the secretion. Some are known to produce phenols in their defesive glands, compounds that are also potently repellent." (Eisner 10)


I see nothing dangerous to humans here and nothing about getting into cells and replicating venom.


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## lucanidae (Oct 5, 2006)

Here are my Cosmetids, I have a male and a female. I am currently working on keying them to genus, I have it down to three possibilities. The specimen pictured first in this thread appears to be a female. Both pictures below are of my male.


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## brachy (Oct 5, 2006)

Hi

Little help too.  

http://www.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0073-47212005000300001&lng=pt&nrm=&tlng=pt 

Nice and thanks for correction.


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## McPede (Oct 5, 2006)

Metagyndes chilensis, family GONYLEPTIDAE, subfamily Pachylinae:







A few species under the subfamily Pachylinae have defense secretions, but I can't find anything about the Genus Metagyndes.
Do you think Metagyndes lacks defense secretion or are they not fully researched yet?


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## Gigas (Oct 5, 2006)

:clap: McPede that looks amazing! How big is the body section?


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## buthus (Oct 5, 2006)

Very interesting! How long do they live?


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## McPede (Oct 5, 2006)

Gigus said:


> :clap: McPede that looks amazing! How big is the body section?


I haven't measured them, but I would say about 7-8mm in body length.


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## McPede (Oct 5, 2006)

buthus said:


> Very interesting! How long do they live?


I don't know, I read somewhere that most species of Opiliones lives for a year or two. 
I have to get back to you on that


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## brachy (Oct 5, 2006)

Hi

My size  are more than 12-15mm


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## McPede (Oct 5, 2006)

Large ones 

I will measure mine as soon as I get some spare time.

By the way, nice looking specimens you have, brachy and lucanidae.
They are indeed fascinating animals.


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## lucanidae (Oct 5, 2006)

Mine aren't usally arboreal.....but then again they don't usually stay still for pictures either! :}


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## rex_arachne (Oct 5, 2006)

fascinating and unusual spiders...


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## Elizabeth (Oct 6, 2006)

Nice thread!  Rather international contributors, so in a kind way, I just want to point out that these aren't "spiders"; they are arachnids.  And I don't think there is a better common word for arachnids, in this case.    

The pictures are great!  I have common looking ones here in California.  I got very excited, though, when I thought I caught a mating grasp going on outside my front door and I had my camera!  Wrong setting, though, for the night, and the flash didn't go off at all...:8o 

However, I captured the couple (for better pictures later).  Has anyone raised some in captivity?  Hints on what to do with the female - proper set-up and environment, would be greatly appreciated!


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## Tegenaria (Oct 6, 2006)

Arent Opilionides what we in Britain call Harvestmen Spiders. not true spiders at all.
They dont have seperate body segments like spiders.Also they only usually have 2 eyes on a stalk, often with spikes around the turret.

We dont get ones like yours tho!


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## Gigas (Oct 6, 2006)

was thinking that Tegenaria, maybe the same order as these but i think thats where the similarity stops


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## Steven Gielis (Oct 8, 2006)

Where can I get these? :drool: 
They are also known as daddy longleggs buth for these specimens it's not really a nice choice


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## Tegenaria (Oct 8, 2006)

bear in mind that daddy long legs refers to a crane fly in europe and a spider in the US.


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## Gigas (Oct 8, 2006)

They had these at the AES show for £15 each!


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## Steven (Oct 8, 2006)

Steven Gielis said:


> Where can I get these? :drool:


they were available at Grabowitsh table on the Antwerp fair last week  
14Euro each, 10 for 50E
(hadn't had enough money left with me when i noticed them)


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## Tegenaria (Oct 8, 2006)

Gigus said:


> They had these at the AES show for £15 each!


15 quid for a harvestman, theyre 10 a penny in my garden :}


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