bug or spider?

[mouse]

my neighbor just called me over to ask me if one of my crickets got out, but the critter on her floor was no cricket i ever seen. it has 2 set of hind legs and 2 sets of smaller fron legs, plus a set thicker antenae that look like front legs to me. plus the fangs open from top to bottom like a peak. it's 1" long, taupe (dirty brown)colored. a friend of my neighbors then called it a potato bug...wich it shouldn't be since a potato bug is also known as a jerusalem cricket and the pick i seen of one looked nothing like it.
i thought maby an ant mimic or some such thing...
we are located in northern california.
any ideas?
dianne

 

[Malhavoc's]

Look up solfugid or vinigeroon

 

[Malhavoc's]

BTW look in the 'other arachnids' forum you will find numerus entries there, Pix here
site here
here
here
search result here

 

[mouse]

thanks...it looks just like the pic you shown on "pic here". so it's a solfugid, but how did it get into my acrosss the hall naighbor? are the local in northern cali? i've never seen one before.
dianne

just noticed a little white "ball" in there, don't know if it is a "dustbunny", but i hope itis just a collection of dust..
what do i do with the critter? i have it in a vial right now....

 

[Malhavoc's]

Apperently their quiet commen and very active [so probalby wandered in from outside] I've been looking for em in south cal my firneds have seen them found them but I haven.t figures.. and yes their in north cal aswell.. their supposed to be pretty commen

 

[Horrido]

They're attracted to UV lights. If you have one available, set it up around a sandy area with vegetation. You could even try pit traps.

 

[Malhavoc's]

?UV as in blakc light?

 

[Horrido]

Eh, from what I've seen, there are two kinds of "blacklights." True flourescent UV lights, and then the tinted filliment bulbs for terrariums and posters. You want the flourescent kind that makes white glow, attracts moths, and gives you a tan.

 

[Alex S.]

You found a species of the family Eremobatidae, which can be found from the southwestern coast of Canada, down to/throughout Mexico. Eremobates pallipes is a very common, pale-white, small to medium-sized species that can be found throughout most of California. Would it be possible to post a photo of the solifugid?

Alex S.

 

[mouse]

the solfugit that i found looks exactly like the one in the link that malhavoc posted under "pix here". it's the third post from the top second post from malhavoc. the thing is i live in an apt complext upstairs and all i normally see are daddy long legs, itty bitty housespiders. it's about 1 1/2" and a taupe/light-dirty brown color with a darker stripe down it's back. and it gives threat postures like crazy. it already ate 2 crix and a waxworm.
dianne

 

[Malhavoc's]

I think thats the pix shes talking about

 

[mouse]

yup, that the critter ...and i will not put my fingers near those fangs/jaws that's for sure. even if they are told not to be venomous, but whos needs venom with a set of jaws like that.
dianne

 

[Alex S.]

The picture above shows a South African species, probably of the family Solpugidae. The basic body structure and color of solifuges can make many species appear similar. Families etc. are often separated by seemingly minute bodily structures, such as the cephalothorax of species of the family Ammotrechidae coming to a point where it meats the chelicerae, while the other U.S. family, Eremobatidae, contains species who’s cephalothorax is flat or slightly curves where it meats the chelicerae. The different shape of the cephalothorax is what mainly separates the two U.S. families. Since your specimen was caught in the western U.S. it is of the family Eremobatidae as U.S. Ammotrechids only occur in the southeast.

Alex S.