The snake and the scorpion

snake flies are odd creatures. They are Predators as adult and larvae. and have an elongated neck that moves around. The larvae lives in rotting wood feeding on a different variety of smaller organisms, the adult looks look like a lacewing but solid and brown with an articulated neck.Underneath the larvae is a small pseudo scorpion.Both were six foot up in an old oak in the New forest.

pion and snakefly

 

There are just three species of snake flies, and twenty seven known species of pseudo scorpions. They are arachnids like spiders,mites,harvestmen and true scorpions, but lack a telson, but they possess venom glands and inject it with their pincers or palps.They also have silk glands but do not spin webs like spiders.

 

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