Psuedoscorpions!

[Biollantefan54]

I have been hunting for some of these amazing little guys for months and finally found one...well, 3 actually! These are one of my favorite arachnids, so secretive and tiny! I found them in some leaf litter, I wish they were easier to find.
Chthonius (Subgenus Ephippiochthonius)tetrachelatus

 

[Aquarimax]

Fascinating creatures! I've only seen one or two in my life. I hope they do well for you!

 

[Biollantefan54]

I caught two more tonight, sadly I think they are all the same species, I want to find a different kind lol

 

[RTTB]

I've been wanting to do a colony of these for some time. Anyone know who offers them?

 

[BobBarley]

We have a bunch around here, tried culturing them once. Watch out for giving them too large of water droplets! They can easily drown. Good luck!

I've been wanting to do a colony of these for some time. Anyone know who offers them?

Bugsincyberspace.com occasionally has them. Maybe Roachcrossing.com sometimes.

 

[RTTB]

Do they fluoresce under black/UV light like scorpions?

 

[Biollantefan54]

No sadly not, if so they'd be way easier to find!

Do they fluoresce under black/UV light like scorpions?

 

[Aquarimax]

I caught two more tonight, sadly I think they are all the same species, I want to find a different kind lol

The bright sides are that you will have a larger gene pool and better likelihood of a good sex ratio for establishing a colony.

 

[pannaking22]

I caught two more tonight, sadly I think they are all the same species, I want to find a different kind lol

Try peeling back bark on fallen trees. I've found a few doing that and they appeared to be a different species to what you have there. Still not the easiest way to find them though, unfortunately. I found that bark that still sticks a little bit or that has lots of humidity and organic debris under it gave me the best chance of finding them. If there were springtails and things there was a decent chance that there would be pseudoscorpions there as well. Honestly, there could have been several more under the bark I was just missing because they're so tiny.


Roach Crossing has one species for sale now if you're wanting some diversity.

 

[Stugy]

I can collect a small colony next time I go to New Mexico. I found out where I could find some pseudoscorpions. I hope I didn't kill that colony though. Now that I'm getting springtails I will be more confident when I get some. Just not sure when I'll go there again.

 

[Biollantefan54]

I just went out looking again, I found 3 more, all the same species. I am hoping I van go to the woods sometime soon to look as the ones I found today were the same species as the last, I put three in a vial with some tiny springtails, maybe I can get something going

 

[pannaking22]

Good luck! They're an interesting group and it would be nice to see more people working with them even if they aren't that popular a group.

 

[Biollantefan54]

Thank you, they certainly are interesting little guys, so tiny and overlooked!

 

[edesign]

I found one of these once hiking in the foothills outside of Denver. I also found a black widow underneath a nearby rock. That was a good day haha. They certainly are tiny to put it mildly. In your photos they look a little bit like a solifugid with their chelicera. Good luck with the colony.

 

[Biollantefan54]

That's exactly what I thought they looked like lol! I have two colonies now, one with three and one with 5, I think one or two are gravid so that'll be interesting

 

[Ilovepredators]

That's exactly what I thought they looked like lol! I have two colonies now, one with three and one with 5, I think one or two are gravid so that'll be interesting

I catch a lot of them in my house in the summer. I've thought of attempting to breed them. Watering them I just get a tiny piece of paper towel wet and put that in. They suck the water out of it. I feed them springtails I keep cultures of.

 

[Ratmosphere]

So beautiful! I wish these got bigger.

 

[Aquarimax]

That's exactly what I thought they looked like lol! I have two colonies now, one with three and one with 5, I think one or two are gravid so that'll be interesting

I would love to hear if they breed and/or two they details about how your colony progresses. Fascinating little creatures.

Have you seen them go after the springtails?

 

[Biollantefan54]

I actually just saw one eating one a few minutes ago, all are still doing well and are very fat so they have been eating! I hope they have little scorplings soon, that'll be interesting!

 

[Terri Brantley]

If you get a large colony going I would be interested in buying some for my beehive. They eat varroa mites and would be a great way to go organic.