pseudoscorpion needs more than a pseudo identification

Posted on July 28, 2009 by The Bug Doctor

Recently I received a request to identify a bug and a fuzzy picture. Normally I’m pretty good at this but I think this time I may need some help. I also have added the reasons as to why I have come up with my answer but I’d love to hear from some other experts in the field. So below is the comment and the picture. If you have any ideas and would like to comment please feel free to help me out.

Vicky says on July 27th, 2009
Hi,
My sister is in Quebec in a secluded area basically living in a dorm and she saw a bug she’d never seen before sticking it’s pincers out of a crack in the wall. Her first thought was bed bugs, but the pincers are much longer than the images we’ve found online. Is there any other bug it could be? I have a fuzzy image of it I could email to you. Thank you in advance for your help!

Vicky

It took awhile of looking but the ‘pincers’ are what lead me to believe this is a pseudo scorpion. They are somewhat curved like one and although the pic is fuzzy it seems they might be segmented. I checked and indeed Canada does have them and although they are rare inside it does happen.

Some info on the pseudoscorpion

The pseudoscorpion is not really a scorpion at all, it is in the arachnid (spider) family. They are very small, only about 3 mm or so. There are around 2000 different species found worldwide but only 6 in Alberta. Quebec seems a little far but who knows. Of those one in particular is most commonly found indoors. Totally harmless this beneficial insect eats mites and other insects smaller than itself.

Well that’s my guess but I’m only one set of eyes and perhaps you have another idea or something in Vicky’s comment spurred a whole other train of thought. Please let us know what you’re thinking and add any information you have.

Thanks.

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Jerry Schappert is a certified pest control operator and Associate Certified Entomologist with over two and a half decades of experience from birds to termites and everything in between. He started as a route technician and worked his way up to commercial/national accounts representative. Always learning in his craft he is familiar with rural pest services and big city control techniques. Jerry has owned and operated a successful pest control company since 1993 in Ocala,Florida. While his knowledge and practical application has benefitted his community Jerry wanted to impart his wisdom on a broader scale to help many more. Pestcemetery.com was born from that idea in 2007 and has been well received. It is the goal of this site to inform you with his keen insights and safely guide you through your pest control treatment needs.
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