Pseudoscorpion
Patrolling the leaf litter, armed with miniature pincers, is the pseudoscorpion. The pseudoscorpion ( Neobisium sp. ) under a microscope, real size ~5mm. Pseudoscorpions look very much like an actual scorpion, minus the stinging tail. A tiny arachnid just a few millimetres long, they are found in a wide variety of habitats including in the UK. Though they don't have the 'classic' scorpion look, they still have venom, which is used to paralyse their prey, including springtails and mites, and is secreted from their claws. They can be found inside too, often amongst old, dusty books where they prey on dust mites, this explains their other common name: "book scorpions". One species found frequently in this habitat may have been first described by the Greek philosopher Aristotle, where he found them wandering amongst old scrolls. Similar to spiders, they can produce silk, but from their chelicerae at their head end, rather than with spinnerets like a spider. This is u...