Amblypygi is an order of arachnids also known as whip-spiders or tailless whip-scorpions, a name referring to their lack of the tail flagellum seen in true whip-scorpions. They possess no silk glands or venom, and rarely bite if threatened, though they can grab fingers with their pedipalps and cause thorn-like puncture injuries. As of 2026 around 280 species across five families and 18 genera had been described, found mostly in tropical and subtropical regions where they stay hidden within leaf litter, caves or under bark; all known species are nocturnal, and some are subterranean. Fossilised amblypygids date back to the Carboniferous period.
Facts
Classification
System (Realm) Relationship to People Living or Extinct Identification
Distinguishing AppearanceBroad, highly flattened body with an undivided prosoma and a segmented opisthosoma 1 Comparison
CITES Appendix Scientific Name Connections
Child Taxon Of
Source Wikidata: Amblypygi
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Sources
1. Wikipedia: Amblypygi
WikipediaLead paragraph
Amblypygi is an order of arachnids also known as whipspiders or tailless whipscorpions.
Morphology section
Their bodies are broad and highly flattened, with an undivided prosoma and a segmented opisthosoma.
Lead section
Amblypygi is an order of arachnids also known as whipspiders or tailless whipscorpions.
article text (relationship to people), EntityId 299369
Several genera of Amblypygi are sold and kept as pets, including Acanthophrynus, Charinus, Charon, Damon, Euphrynichus, Heterophrynus, Phrynus, Paraphrynus, and Phrynichus.
Lead
Amblypygids are generally sit-and-wait predators, especially larger species such as Heterophrynus.
View the Source 2. GBIF Species API
3. Wikidata (taxon extant/extinct status)
Wikimedia Foundation / Wikidata contributorsQ19111, descriptionView the Source 4. UNEP-WCMC Species+ database (CITES Secretariat): Species+: Arachnida
UNEP-WCMC Species+ database (CITES Secretariat)Species+ taxon_concepts, id 27Quote, Species+ taxon_concepts, id 27
"cites_listing":"II/III/NC","eu_listing":"B/C/NC","higher_taxa":{"kingdom":"Animalia","phylum":"Arthropoda","class":"Arachnida","order":null,"family":null},"synonyms":[],"common_names":[{"name":"Scorpions And Spiders","language":"EN"},{"name":"Araignées","language":"FR"},{"name":"Arañas","language":"ES"},{"name":"蛛形纲","language":"ZH"}],"cites_listings":[]
Wikidata: Amblypygi
- Wikidata Q19111, class allow-list match (w-wdresolver-0926)
- Child Taxon Of: Arachnida, Wikidata P171 (parent taxon) claim, rank=normal, target=Q1358 (Arachnida)
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