Tailless
Whipscorpion ( In Gelanggi Cave )
any
of a group of spider-like arachnids known for their long, whip-like front legs.
Also known as whip spiders or amblypygids, tailless whipscorpions are
neither true scorpions nor true spiders, but resemble a cross between the two.
They live in humid tropical and subtropical habitats, hiding under leaf litter
and debris by day and emerging to hunt at night. A few species dwell in caves,
and some species are common in houses. There are about 70 known species of
tailless whipscorpions.
The
body of most tailless whipscorpions is
less than 5 cm (2 in) long, but the foremost pair of legs is extremely long, up
to 25 cm (10 in). The cephalothorax, or foremost body section, is covered by a
carapace (shell-like covering) and is wider than it is long. The tailless whipscorpion has
one pair of eyes toward the front of the cephalothorax and three pairs of eyes
on the sides. The long, feeler-like front legs are important sensory organs for
hunting and orientation at night. The tailless whipscorpion
walks sideways with these legs leading the way. Its pedipalps, or
leg-like mouthparts, are stout and spiny and are used to capture and hold
insect prey while it is torn apart by the chelicerae, or fangs. Tailless whipscorpions are
not venomous and are harmless to humans. They breathe through two pairs of
layered lungs, known as book lungs, located within the abdomen.
The
male tailless whipscorpion
courts the female with trembling movements of his long first pair of legs. He
deposits a spermatophore, or
sperm packet, and guides the female over it with his pedipalps or
with his front legs. She then inserts it into her sex duct. She broods 6 to 60
eggs in a membranous sac until they have hatched and then carries the young on
her back until their second molt.
Scientific
classification: Tailless
whipscorpions make
up the order Amblypygi,
class Arachnida,
phylum Arthropoda. As
arachnids, their relatives include true spiders, true scorpions, and the ticks
and mites. Tailless whipscorpions
should not be confused with whipscorpions (vinegaroons),
more elongate arachnids with a whiplike tail, nor should they be confused
with the windscorpions (solpugids),
which have enlarged chelicerae
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