Invertebrate Zoology: A Textbook - T. A. Dauda 2014

Multicellular Animals
Arthropods
Subphylum Chelicerata - Class Arachnida - Order Opiliones

In appearance, harvestmen resemble spiders. However, there are significant differences between them. For instance, the abdomen of harvestmen consists of several segments and is not separated from the cephalothorax by a deep constriction. Their walking legs are long and slender. They can easily detach (a process known as self-mutilation or autotomy) and continue to twitch for some time afterward—hence the common name harvestmen. Their chelicerae are small and pincer-like, and they lack venom glands.

Harvestmen inhabit tree trunks, the walls of houses and sheds, and leaf litter, where they hunt small insects.



Last update: 13/08/2026

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