Harvestmen

The sensors (Pedipalps) which are often counted as a fifth pair of legs due to their shape, have different purposes, reproduction or food intake.

The Harvestmen eat their prey alive. Harvestmen can perceive ultraviolet light, but their eyesight is weak. Some species are covered in colourful ‘spikes’ which are visible under a microscope but the function of these has not yet been explained. In some species the males are darker than the females and are also larger.

Harvestmen live mostly in the bottom layer of humus and feed mainly on small Arthropods. They are found in hardwood forests, gardens, hedgerows, meadows and parks, some species live in dunes, heathland or moors. There, they graze dead plant parts, on which sit Arthropod corrosive. They can be encountered in larger numbers in natural hardwood forests, groves close to wetlands and forests where they break their hundreds in a confined space can be encountered where hundreds can be found in a small area.

Harvestmen are only active at night and their behaviour is not affected by adverse weather conditions. Female harvestmen lay their eggs in small holes or cracks in the ground.

Due to the intensification of agriculture and forestry habitats have been lost and this is a real threat to many species of harvestmen.