''Phalangium opilio'' is a species of
harvestman belonging to the family
Phalangiidae.
Distribution
It is "the most widespread
species of
harvestman in the world", occurring natively in
Europe, and much of
Asia. The species has been introduced to
North America
North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and the Car ...
,
North Africa and
New Zealand.
Habitat
This species can be found in a wide range of
habitats, including
meadows,
bog
A bog or bogland is a wetland that accumulates peat as a deposit of dead plant materials often mosses, typically sphagnum moss. It is one of the four main types of wetlands. Other names for bogs include mire, mosses, quagmire, and muskeg; a ...
s,
forests, and various types of
anthropogenic
Anthropogenic ("human" + "generating") is an adjective that may refer to:
* Anthropogeny, the study of the origins of humanity
Counterintuitively, anthropogenic may also refer to things that have been generated by humans, as follows:
* Human im ...
habitats, such as
gardens,
fields,
hedgerow
A hedge or hedgerow is a line of closely spaced shrubs and sometimes trees, planted and trained to form a barrier or to mark the boundary of an area, such as between neighbouring properties. Hedges that are used to separate a road from adjoini ...
s,
lawns,
quarries, green places in built-up areas,
walls and
bridges.
Description
Females have a body length of , males are slightly smaller at . Males however have longer legs; the second leg is about in males and in females. Males and females are similarly coloured and marked, although males' markings tend to be less clear. The body has a three-lobed darker "saddle", usually with spots or dashes in the midline. Both sexes show many tubercules with small spikes on the anterior surface of their body.
[
'']Mitopus morio
''Mitopus morio'' is a species of harvestman belonging to the family Phalangiidae.
Distribution
This species occurs in Europe, North Africa, Asia and in North America
North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and a ...
'' has a very similar appearance, but ''P. opilio'' can be distinguished by the two pale "denticles" (small teeth-like structures) below the anterior margin of the carapace
A carapace is a Dorsum (biology), dorsal (upper) section of the exoskeleton or shell in a number of animal groups, including arthropods, such as crustaceans and arachnids, as well as vertebrates, such as turtles and tortoises. In turtles and tor ...
. Males have long forward-pointing "horns" on the second segment of their chelicerae.[
]
Biology
''Phalangium opilio'' is normally an univoltine species and overwinters as eggs. Eggs are laid in moist areas and hatch in three-five months. The immatures undergo several molts and reach maturity in two-three months. These harvestmans usually feed on soft-bodied animals such as aphids, caterpillars, leafhoppers, beetle larvae, mites, but sometime it may scavenge on hard-bodied animals such as various arthropods. [Bugguide]
/ref> They are also known to feed on '' Helicoverpa zea'' eggs, and thus can act as biological pest control
Biological control or biocontrol is a method of controlling pests, such as insects, mites, weeds, and plant diseases, using other organisms. It relies on predation, parasitism, herbivory, or other natural mechanisms, but typically also invo ...
for soybean crops. The species is nocturnal, as is typical of opilionids.
Gallery
File: Phalangiidae - Phalangium opilio (male).JPG, Male showing the "horns" on the chelicerae
File: Phalangiidae - Phalangium opilio (male)-001.JPG, Male side view
File:Phalangium opilio MHNT portrait female.jpg, Female
File:Phalangium opilio MHNT Profil.jpg, Female side view
References
{{Taxonbar, from=Q21059
Harvestmen
Animals described in 1758
Arachnids of Africa
Arachnids of Asia
Arachnids of Europe
Arachnids of New Zealand
Arachnids of North America
Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus