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Dasylobus sp.
Opiliones are known for their exceptionally long legs relative to their body size. The most obvious difference between harvestmen and spiders is that in harvestmen the connection between the cephalothorax and abdomen is broad, so that the body appears to be a single oval structure. Other differences are that Opiliones have no venom glands in their chelicerae. They also have no silk glands and therefore they do not build webs. In some highly derived species the first five abdominal segments are fused into a dorsal shield called the scutum, which in most such species is fused with the carapace. Some such Opiliones only have this shield in the males. In some species the two posterior abdominal segments are reduced. Some of them divided medially on the surface to form two plates beside each other. The second pair of legs are longer than the others and they function as antennae or feelers. In short-legged species this may not be obvious.
Rock surface in a pine tree forest. La Pedriza, Parque Regional de la Cuenca Alta del Manzanares, Sierra de Guadarrama
Camera Model: NIKON D300. Exposure Time: 1/640 sec. f/13; ISO Speed Rating: 400. Exposure Bias: 0 EV. Focal Length: 300.0 mm.
Spotted on May 4, 2013
Submitted on Jun 7, 2013
1 Comment
Identified as Dasylobus sp.