Chelifer cancroides, the house pseudoscorpion, is a species of pseudoscorpion. It is the most widely distributed species of pseudoscorpion in the world, it occurs in a range of habitats, but it is mostly synanthropic and harmless to humans.[1]
| Chelifer cancroides | |
|---|---|
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Scientific classification 
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| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Subphylum: | Chelicerata |
| Class: | Arachnida |
| Order: | Pseudoscorpiones |
| Family: | Cheliferidae |
| Genus: | Chelifer Geoffroy, 1762 |
| Species: | C. cancroides
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| Binomial name | |
| Chelifer cancroides (Linnaeus, 1758)
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Description
editChelifer cancroides measure 2.5–4.5 mm (0.098–0.177 in) in length. The pedipalps are very long,[2] measuring 7–9 mm (0.28–0.35 in) when extended. The body is teardrop-shaped and has a rich mahogany color. The abdomen has 12 segments, only 10 of which are easily visible. The cephalothorax has one pair of eyes.[1]
This species can be distinguished from other Cheliferidae by a number of features. The carapace has large setose tubercles. In males, the carapace and tergites I-VII or I-VIII have distinct lateral keels. The cheliceral hand has 4 setae, lacking seta sbs. The tarsal claws of adults have a lateroventral process, except for those on the first leg pair of adult males. Additionally, the subterminal tarsal setae are denticulate. In males, coxa IV is strongly arcuate, has a large lateral process, and has a coxal sac lacking a differentiated atrium. The male genitalia have rams horn organs and an anteriorly invaginated lateral rod forming a median depression, in which lies a sclerotic rod. The female genitalia have paired spermathecae and paired median cribriform plates.[3]
Taxonomy
editChelifer cancroides was one of the two pseudoscorpion species described by Linnaeus in the 10th edition of Systema Naturae. Both Species were assigned to the mite genus Acarus, then transferred to Phalangium by Linnaeus in 1767 and to Scorpio in 1775 by Fabricius. The genus Chelifer was described anonymously in 1762 to accommodate C. cancroides and has remained valid since.[4] Since the genus was described over 300 species-group names have been described and all except C. cancroides have been moved to other genera or synonymized with C. cancroides.[3] The genus is currently monotypic, although it contains fourteen species originally described in Chelifer that are considered nomina dubia and eleven other species considered nomina nuda.[5]
Diet
edit
Chelifer cancroides feeds on small arthropods such as psocids, fruit flies and mites such as Varroa.[6]
Reproduction
editMales maintain small mating territories, few centimeters in size. When a female enters the territory, the male initiates a mating dance and eventually deposits a spermatophore, which is then picked up by the females. Fecundity is 20–40 eggs. The development from egg stage into maturity takes 10 to 24 months and involves three molts;[1] molting may involve building a silk nest.[2] They usually live three or four years.[1]
Distribution
editChelifer cancroides has been observed in North America, Europe, Africa, and Australia.[7]
Habitat
editChelifer cancroides has been found under bark of trees, in caves, in bird nests and bee nests, and riding on bats, flies and hymenopterans.[8] It also occurs in human structures such as houses, stables, barns, chicken coops and bee hives.[3]
Venom
editLike some other pseudoscorpions, C. cancroides has venomous pedipalps used for subduing prey. This venom contains various peptides and is toxic to bacteria (e.g. methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus), fungi, arthropods (e.g. aphids and Varroa mites) and mammalian cells.[6][9]
References
edit- ^ a b c d Jacobs, Steve. "Pseudoscorpions". Penn State College of Agricultural Sciences Department of Entomology. Penn State College of Agricultural Sciences. Retrieved 5 May 2016.
- ^ a b Levi, Herbert W. (1948). "Notes on the life history of the pseudoscorpion Chelifer cancroides (Linn.) (Chelonethida)". Transactions of the American Microscopical Society. 67 (3): 290–298. doi:10.2307/3223197. JSTOR 3223197.
- ^ a b c Harvey, Mark S. (2014). "A review and redescription of the cosmopolitan pseudoscorpion Chelifer cancroides (Pseudoscorpiones: Cheliferidae)". Journal of Arachnology. 42 (1): 86–104. doi:10.1636/K13-57.1. ISSN 0161-8202. S2CID 86777132.
- ^ Geoffroy, É. L. (1762). Histoire abregée des insectes qui se trouvent aux environs de Paris; dans laquelle ces animaux sont rangés suivant un ordre méthodique. Vol. 2. Paris: Durand.
- ^ "Chelifer Geoffroy, 1762". World Pseudoscorpiones Catalog. Natural History Museum Bern. 2023. Retrieved 13 October 2023.
- ^ a b Krämer, Jonas; Peigneur, Steve; Tytgat, Jan; Jenner, Ronald A.; van Toor, Ronald; Predel, Reinhard (2021). "A Pseudoscorpion's Promising Pinch: The venom of Chelifer cancroides contains a rich source of novel compounds". Toxicon. 201: 92–104. doi:10.1016/j.toxicon.2021.08.012. hdl:10141/622981. PMID 34416254.
- ^ "Chelifer cancroides (Linnaeus, 1758)". www.gbif.org. Retrieved 2021-08-10.
- ^ Hernández-Corral, Jesús; Zaragoza, Juan A.; Micó, Estefanía (2018-10-08). "New species of Pseudoscorpiones (Arachnida) from tree hollows in a Mediterranean oak forest in Spain". Zootaxa. 4497 (2): 201–225. doi:10.11646/zootaxa.4497.2.3. ISSN 1175-5334. PMID 30313674. S2CID 52977326.
- ^ Krämer, Jonas; Lüddecke, Tim; Marner, Michael; Maiworm, Elena; Eichberg, Johanna; Hardes, Kornelia; Schäberle, Till F.; Vilcinskas, Andreas; Predel, Reinhard (2022-01-14). "Antimicrobial, Insecticidal and Cytotoxic Activity of Linear Venom Peptides from the Pseudoscorpion Chelifer cancroides". Toxins. 14 (1): 58. doi:10.3390/toxins14010058. ISSN 2072-6651. PMC 8778599. PMID 35051034.