Despite the fact that the harvest spider is completely harmless, many, when they see it in the house, experience fear mixed with disgust. This is due to the creepy appearance of spiders that move on abnormally long legs.
Most species of harvest spiders (or as they are also called moss spiders) are synanthropic species and live near people.
Description and appearance
Harvesting spiders are a family of spiders that contain more than 1,000 species. Depending on the species, these representatives of the arachnid class may have different leg lengths.
Most species have thin limbs that are many times larger than the body, but in some forest-dwelling species the leg length and body size are approximately the same.
The body shape of braids can be round or elongated, size from 2 to 20 mm, color from light sand to brown. Females tend to have larger bodies, but males have longer legs.
origin of name
Long-legged spiders were called haymakers or moss spiders for a very interesting feature. In case of danger, the arthropod makes a characteristic muscular movement and throws back the leg with which it was grabbed. The severed leg makes characteristic movements for some time, similar to swinging a scythe.
Watching the moving leg, the attacker is distracted, and the haymaker spider manages to hide. Despite the fact that a new leg does not grow in place of the draped one, braids can repeat this trick more than once. They move freely on five, three and even two legs.
By the way, spiders with long legs received their name by analogy with their distant relatives, arachnids, belonging to the order of harvesters.
Structure
The body of the pigtail consists of a cephalothorax and abdomen, connected by a thin movable bridge. On the head of the cephalothorax there are 4 pairs of eyes (in cave-dwelling species there may be 3 pairs) and 2 pairs of limbs, one of which is the organs of touch, and the other is the jaw.
The harvestman has 4 pairs of legs, which in the vast majority of spiders are long and thin with claws at the end. Spiders have special glands on their bodies that secrete a secretion with an unpleasant odor that repels predators.
Nutrition
The diet of haymaking is traditional for spiders; it is based on insects. Shoes powered by:
- flies;
- beetles;
- cowardly;
- mosquitoes;
- aphid;
- snails
Some species eat plants, mushrooms, bird and animal droppings. If you list what hay producers who live in a house eat, flies, mosquitoes and midges will be at the top of the list. If cockroaches live in your home, spiders can eat them too.
Kosinozhka hunts with a web. His nets are not neat and symmetrical, they are irregular, with randomly intertwined threads. Once an insect is trapped, it becomes increasingly confused as it tries to escape. The spider quickly approaches the victim and bites it, injecting poison.
Unlike most spiders, harvest spiders not only suck up digested insect entrails, but can also consume solid food by tearing off small pieces and then crushing them through the chewing process.
Reproduction
Haymaking spiders mate in late summer or early autumn. A sexually mature male, having discovered a female sitting in a net, attracts his attention with characteristic movements that make the hunting net vibrate.
After the female approaches, it is important that the male has time to prove that he is not prey, otherwise his life may end suddenly. Immediately after mating, the partner tries to get away from the chosen one as quickly as possible, otherwise he may eat her, forgetting about what just happened between them.
A fertilized female lays 15 to 50 eggs. The hay cocoon is not dense, it looks like many ropes with large cells. Small spiders that are born are similar in appearance to adult individuals and differ from them only in size. After a few days, the spiders begin to hunt on their own.
How many years do harvest spiders live?
The average lifespan of a pigtail spider is about 2 years, with some individuals living up to 3 years. Females usually live longer than males. The period depends mainly on living conditions and partly on the factor of chance.
Danger to humans
The haymaker spider is poisonous. By piercing the victim's body with its jaw, it injects a toxic substance. But scientific research confirms that stepper leg poison is not dangerous to humans. In addition, long-legged spiders do not have jaws strong enough to bite human skin. So the spider is not dangerous to humans.
The only threat the scythe may pose is the development of arachnophobia. Observing an unsightly and frightening-looking creature up close, impressionable people can panic and acquire a persistent fear of spiders throughout their lives.
Mythbusting
There is such a program - “MythBusters” with Jamie Hyneman and Adam Savage, they tested the statement about whether the bite of a haymaker spider is poisonous to humans.
The tests were carried out on Savage's hand, after which Adam said that he did not feel anything other than a slight burning sensation. Having further studied the composition of the poison, the researchers found that centipedes are less dangerous than, for example, the notorious “black widow”.
These creatures most likely do not have enough physical muscle strength and technical ability to bite a person, poisoning him. In addition, the venom of the harvest spider is fatal only to its prey; the bite does not cause harm to humans. This conclusion was reached by scientists who conducted tests in laboratory conditions, injecting poison into animals and studying their reaction.
In practice, not a single case has yet been registered in which a spider has bitten a person with dire consequences. Therefore, so far any claim that their poison is especially dangerous for you and me has not been proven.
But brown recluse spiders are poisonous creatures and are capable of biting people, and similar cases have been recorded.
However, scientists will likely continue their research and study of harvestmen.
Types of harvestmen
There are many types of braids in the world. Some of them are widespread, others are much less common, and only specialists know about the existence of the third. Among the most famous representatives of hayfields:
- Pholcus phalangioides - individuals with a body size of 6–8 mm are distinguished by very long legs, the length of which can exceed 50 mm, in appearance they are very similar to ordinary haymaking;
- Crossopriza lyoni is a ubiquitous synanthropic species that does not bite and usually tries to remain unnoticed;
- Physocyclus globosus - a brown spider with a black stripe running along the cephalothorax and abdomen, lives in warm regions, settling mainly in caves;
- Smeringopus pallidus - spiders with an elongated abdomen are often found in houses or near them in gardens.
origin of name
An insect with long legs, similar to a spider, has several names.
- The arthropod's paws are easily torn off, and the damaged area quickly heals without causing harm. The leg continues for some time to make movements that resemble a scythe during haymaking. This is where the name comes from: goat's leg, haymaker, spider's leg, goat's leg. The paw attracts the enemy's attention while the spider runs away. Natural enemies are other arachnids and birds.
- The Latin name opiliones literally means "shepherd". The associations arose due to the long legs resembling stilts. In ancient times, shepherds often used stilts to make it easier to keep track of their flock.
- An American writer named the spider opiliones due to its massive distribution in pastures.
A tick is also called a haymaker, which has nothing in common with an arachnid. According to genetic studies, the pigtail's DNA is more similar to scorpions than to spiders.
Lifestyle and habitats
Hay spiders live in all corners of the globe except Antarctica. They are found both in nature and in homes. Spiders prefer warm climates, so most species live in the tropics and subtropics.
In temperate latitudes there are much fewer moths, and in regions with harsh climates there are practically none, since they do not tolerate cold. House-dwelling synanthropic species are also much less common in cold regions.
Behavior in the wild
In nature, long-legged spiders choose different habitats. These can be forests, fields and meadows, city parks and public gardens. Haymakers can be found both in the desert and in mountainous areas at fairly high altitudes.
Arthropods live in tree hollows and empty burrows, in tree crowns and among stones, in caves and abandoned buildings. They usually hunt at night, and during the day they rest, freezing on a tree trunk or wall in a characteristic pose, with their legs spread apart.
Staying in the house
Among hay producers there are many synanthropic species. These long-legged arthropods have perfectly adapted to life near people. They feel comfortable and safe in apartments and houses. House spiders are active all year round, although their activity slows down a bit in winter.
Most often, a long-legged spider can be found at home in a corner under the ceiling, under a windowsill, or behind furniture. But sometimes they fearlessly sneak into important places, testing the psychological stability of the people living in the house.
If the spider does not receive anything, it starves for some time, but after a month and a half it leaves the house in search of a better place to eat.
Classification
Haymaker, close view
- The suborder Cyphophthalmi includes the most primitive harvesters known from Carboniferous deposits. They are small, 2-3 mm in length, with an oblong-oval body and short legs. They resemble ticks in appearance. On the sides of the cephalothorax they have two outgrowths with exits of odorous glands. The eyes are reduced. The covers are very hard. They live in the tropical and subtropical zones of Eurasia, Africa and America. Some fossil forms breathed using lungs. The suborder consists of two families: Sironidae and Stylocellidae.
- The suborder Eupnoi is richly represented in the Holarctic fauna. This group includes mainly the longest-legged harvesters with soft, leathery coverings. Representatives of the Caddidae family are distinguished by large eyes. Eupnoi are found in almost all climatic zones and a wide variety of habitats; There are many daytime forms. Species of temperate latitudes easily tolerate low temperatures and are active until late autumn. This suborder includes the common species Phalangium opilio and Opilio parietinus, found on the walls of residential buildings. Most Eupnoi (especially Phalangiidae) are agile, fast creatures that live on vegetation. The suborder consists of 2 families: Phalangiidae and Caddidae.
- The suborder Dyspnoi includes slow soil forms of harvesters. For example, species of the genus Trogulus, common in the southern regions of Russia, are so slow that they seem lifeless. The legs are shorter than those of Eupnoi. The integument is elastic, but there are also armored ones. The pedipalps are thin and not prehensile. The ovipositor of females is usually very long. These harvestmen are distributed throughout the world, but are most numerous in the Holarctic region. The suborder has 4 families: Ischyropsalidae, Trogulidae, Nemastomatidae and Dicranolasmatidae. The family Trogulidae includes short-legged species in which the anterior edge of the dorsal shell grows and covers the chelicerae and pedipalps on top. The covers are completely covered with soil particles, which probably serves the trogulids as additional protection from drying out and camouflage. Harvesters of the family Ischyropsalidae specialized in feeding on terrestrial mollusks, which they extract from shells with their powerful chelicerae. Thus, the European species Ischyropsalis helwigi, with a body length of 5-7 mm, has chelicerae more than 1 cm long.
- The suborder Laniatores is predominantly tropical, the largest and least studied. These harvesters have grasping, clawed pedipalps and very hard integuments. The body and appendages are lumpy, often with bizarre outgrowths. Many species are variegated. Distributed in Central and South America, the southern half of Africa, India, the Malay Islands, and Australia. They are most abundant and diverse in tropical America. Only a few members of the family Phalangodidae are found in the Palearctic. The suborder has 5 families: Triaenonychidae, Oncopodidae, Phalangodidae, Cosmetidae and Gonyleptidae.
Natural enemies of harvest spiders
In nature, braids have many enemies. Long-legged spiders can be prey:
- birds;
- rodents (rats, mice, squirrels);
- curly;
- frogs, toads;
- lizards;
- snake;
- other spiders;
- some insects.
Arthropods are sometimes caught by dogs or cats, but not for food, but out of purely sporting interest.
In addition to animals, some parasitic fungi pose a danger to harvestmen. Having penetrated the spider's body, they grow and after the death of the victim they burst, entwine the carcass and eat it without a trace along with the chitinous shell.
Reproduction
The process of reproduction brings them closer to insects. The mating season begins in August. Males fight fiercely for the female. During mating, internal fertilization occurs.
The female lays eggs in a special nest in the soil. There are up to 500 eggs in one clutch. Under favorable conditions, the female can lay eggs 2–3 times.
In some males, after mating, the maternal instinct awakens. They jealously guard their offspring, since an indiscriminate female can eat her own clutch. The harvester lives for 2 years, but there are species that have a one-year life cycle.
Methods of fighting in the house
Despite the fact that domestic hay producers are absolutely harmless, most owners do not want to put up with their presence in their home, especially if we are not talking about an accidentally crawling spider, but about a whole company of arthropods.
The following steps will help you get rid of thin-legged spiders:
- regular wet cleaning of the house (including all corners and hard-to-reach places, for example, under the sofa or behind the closet);
- seal all cracks and holes through which spiders can enter the room from the street;
- installation of mosquito nets on windows;
- covering the ventilation holes with a fine mesh.
In addition, it is necessary to ensure that there are no insects in the house that could become food for the spider.
Spiders can be scared off by unpleasant odors. Essential oils with the aroma of citrus fruits, tea tree, eucalyptus, and mint will be a means of combating them.
But it is recommended to use special chemicals against haymakers only as a last resort, otherwise it will not be possible to get rid of spiders and their numbers are constantly growing. In another situation, the use of a toxic substance against harmless arthropods can cause more harm to the owners than good.
What does it eat?
Typically, the following insects get caught in the harvester's net and are unable to escape from the trap:
- small snails;
- ants;
- small caterpillars;
- slugs;
- bugs;
- mosquitoes;
- various midges.
In the absence of fresh food, moss spiders are forced to feed on carrion (the remains of flies, mosquitoes and other small insects), excrement, fungi, and rotting remains of organic matter (both meat and plant matter).
Did you know? To avoid getting caught by an insect that is too large, harvesters deliberately loosen the net to scare it away. If this does happen, then the spider helps free the failed food by biting off the necessary threads.
When these spiders have seasonal problems with food, they are not averse to cannibalism - in difficult times, related subspecies or even representatives of their own species can be eaten. To do this, insects find a “relative’s” web, pretend to be entangled in it and attack the web owner who has run up.
Where does the centipede mosquito live?
Photo: Insect mosquito centipede
Insects live everywhere on all continents. They are absent only in arid waterless areas, on small oceanic islands with year-round ice or snow cover, and also in the center of the Arctic + Antarctic. The world's fauna numbers approximately 4,200 insect species. These highly visible creatures are represented by a wide variety of species in virtually every biogeographic region (excluding Antarctica).
The number of species present was distributed by region as follows:
- Palearctic region - 1280 species;
- Nearctic kingdom - 573 species;
- neotropical region - 805 species;
- Afrotropical region - 339 species;
- Indo-Malayan zone - 925 species;
- Australasia - 385 species.
The larval habitats are concentrated in all types of freshwater and semi-saline environments. Some species are found in moist cushions of mosses or Marchantia mosses. Ctenophora Meigen species are found in rotting wood or turf logs. And the larvae of such species as Nephrotoma Meigen or Tipula Linnaeus are frequent guests of dry soils of pastures, steppes and lawns.
Larvae of the Tipulidae group are also found in rich organic soil and mud, in damp forest areas where there is a lot of rich humus, in leaves or mud, decaying plant parts or fruits that are in various stages of decay. Larvae play an important role in the soil ecosystem as they recycle organic material and increase microbial activity in sediments.
