Pseudoscorpions

This group gathers Arachnids subcategory members belonging to the order Pseudoscorpiones, the pseudoscorpions, small, often overlooked arachnids that superficially resemble a true scorpion shrunk down to only a few millimeters in length, complete with a pair of prominent pincer-like pedipalps, but that carry no tail and no sting of any kind. Found in leaf litter, soil, under tree bark, in caves and even in stored grain and old books, pseudoscorpions are active predators of even smaller invertebrates such as mites and springtails, subduing prey with venom delivered through the pincers themselves rather than through a stinger. Several species disperse by grabbing onto the leg of a much larger flying insect with their pincers and riding along until the insect lands somewhere new, a hitchhiking behavior called phoresy that lets an otherwise slow, ground-bound animal reach new habitat far faster than it could travel on its own.