Schizomida sp. as Mite Predator

[LawnShrimp]

While in Florida looking for centipedes and other large inverts, I happened upon a particular site that was populated by dozens of Schizomids, or pygmy shorttailed whipscorpions. Under each brick or slab there was at least one individual, sometimes more. I caught about four sexed pairs but due to an overly large airhole all but two females escaped. The females which I assume are full size are about half a centimeter long.

I have been keeping the two females in a container with 50/50 coir and sand mixture with Trichorhina tomentosa dwarf isopods from the same habitat. Occasionally I toss a few springtails in there along with some dead leaf scraps and fish food to sustain them, but after a few weeks the springtails are all gone. It could be that they have just burrowed, but the schizomids are nicely plump so I suspect they have eaten the springtails.

One of my Trachelipus rathkii enclosures had a mite outbreak and I had not fed the Schizomids in a while, so I caught one female and set it free in the isopod container yesterday.
I checked today and the Schizomid was sitting on top of the bark hide. It seemed very fat compared to when I saw it last. I don't know if it ate mites or springtails as both are present in the isopod container, and there are enough of each that one schizomid can't make a difference in a single day.

I am a little concerned that the schizomid needs higher humidity than is in the isopod culture, but it was moving about on top of the hide so this does not seem the case. It could also be running around because it is fleeing the large isopods which it has never encountered before, so I hope the added stress of large neighbors does not cause any ill effects.

I really like these little arachnids. They look like a combination of a vinegaroon, a cricket, and an ant together and jump, burrow, feel around, and can spray just like these other inverts. (Sorry I don't have pictures, they are so fast, shy, and tiny!) Hopefully I can get some males or maybe the females can parthenogenetically reproduce; I would love to breed them especially if they do eat pests. If anyone else has kept these or has any tips, please tell me!

 

[RTTB]

I would love to see some pictures.

 

[wizentrop]

I completely agree with the OP, schizomids are truly underrated. They are effcient predators and will finish off mites, Collembola and even entire isopod colonies when given a chance.
I have been breeding a tropical species from Belize for the past 4 years, and they nearly destroyed my isopod colony. Nevertheless I do like them, and now I deploy them as biological control agents in almost all my enclosures. Too bad not too many people are interested in them. They are tiny, fast, and shy. But oh man, they are cool.

 

[LawnShrimp]

I completely agree with the OP, schizomids are truly underrated. They are effcient predators and will finish off mites, Collembola and even entire isopod colonies when given a chance.
I have been breeding a tropical species from Belize for the past 4 years, and they nearly destroyed my isopod colony. Nevertheless I do like them, and now I deploy them as biological control agents in almost all my enclosures. Too bad not too many people are interested in them. They are tiny, fast, and shy. But oh man, they are cool.

What kind of isopod? As they are in an isopod culture now, I hope they do not cause problems! The freshly born mancae of rathkii are almost the size of the Schizomid so I doubt it would be possible for it to kill one.

Thanks for confirming that they do eat mites. I think a few pairs in a centipede tub would help keep mite numbers low and springtail populations in check.

 

[wizentrop]

Trachelipus rathkii is very big, but they might be able to take down the newborns. They sure surprised me in the past, I caught them redhanded with prey larger than their side. Never underestimate an arachnid.

 

[LawnShrimp]

Trachelipus rathkii is very big, but they might be able to take down the newborns. They sure surprised me in the past, I caught them redhanded with prey larger than their side. Never underestimate an arachnid.

I'll take that into consideration! The rathkii are fairly important to a project I'm working on; they may be het for orange. I might try the schizomid out in a different culture then.

 

[Lithobius]

Woah, I've never seen a Schizomid offered anywhere. That would be a really cool type to have.

Definitely interested in seeing some pics

 

[Patherophis]

Schizomids are lovely creatures, they live here in greenhouses in botanical garden. It would be nice to see them in hobby more often, or to see them in hobby at all.

 

[Galapoheros]

I found some in my terrs but I never did see many of them. That made me wonder if they don't do well in large numbers, are they cannibalistic?

 

[wizentrop]

@Galapoheros Despite having strong opinions against keeping arachnids communally, the schizomids I have seem to tolerate each other's presence. They still keep territories and avoid each other, so a wide enclosure and an abundance of prey are still necessary. I have never seen any cases of cannibalism, and my colony keep growing in numbers.

 

[LawnShrimp]

Found her! She popped up again after a misting the other day... they do need a lot of humidity.