It was a bit weird for me to notice a pseudoscorpion ‘riding’ a crane fly.
What? First was a weasel ‘riding’ a woodpecker, now a pseudoscorpion ‘riding’ a big mosquito?!
What is a pseudoscorpion?
It’s an inoffensive arachnid(2-8 mm in length) which has pincers very similar to those of scorpions. They usually eat ants, mites, small flies, clothes moth larvae and carpet beetle larvae. You might notice this tiny insect in rooms with dusty books where it finds booklice and mites. A pseudoscorpion lives up to three years.
About crane flies, there is not much to be said.
These insects, resembling to an over sized mosquito, are found worldwide. Crane fly larvae eat roots and other vegetation.
When I was a kid I was terrified because I thought their bite is more painful than a mosquito’s bite. Unlike mosquitoes, crane flies DO NOT bite people or animals In fact, adult crane flies do not eat at all; most adult crane flies only mate and then die ( occasionally, some of them eat nectar).
And here comes a new word for me: phorecy.
Phoresy is one animal attached to another exclusively for transport, like mites on insects, pseudoscorpions on mammals or beetles, and millipedes on birds.
Next time when you notice a crane fly, do not be afraid, look carefully, it might be carrying a pseudoscorpion.
I dislike to copy information but this time I had no idea what to tell you about this photo. For this post I read some things here, here, here, here and here.
Cornell's photos and words 