Palpigrade
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80 species in 4 genera |
A palpigrade, commonly known as a microwhip scorpion, is an invertebrate animal belonging to the order Palpigradi in the class Arachnida, in the subphylum Chelicerata of the phylum Arthropoda.
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[edit] Physical description
Palpigrades are tiny cousins of the uropygid, or whip scorpion, no more than 3 mm in length. They have a thin, pale, segmented carapace which terminates in a whip-like flagellum, made up of 15 segments. The carapace is divided into two plates between the third and fourth leg set. They have no eyes. Some species have three pairs of book lungs, while others have no lungs at all.
[edit] Behavior
As of 2003, very little is known about palpigrade behavior. They are believed to be predators like their larger relatives, feeding on minuscule insects in their habitat. Their mating habits are unknown, except that they lay only a few relatively large eggs at a time.
[edit] Habitat
Microwhip scorpions need a damp environment to survive, and they always hide from light, so they are commonly found in the moist earth under buried stones and rocks. They can be found on every continent, except in arctic and antarctic regions.
As of 2000, approximately 80 species of palpigrades have been described worldwide, all in the family Eukoeneniidae, which contains 4 genera.
