Dec, 1905.] Chelanops oblongus. 407 



HABITS AND DISTRIBUTION OF THE PSEUDOSCORPION- 

 IDAE, PRINCIPALLY CHELANOPS OBLONGUS, SAY.* 



E. W. Berger, Ph. D. (J. H. U.)- 



The observations that prompted the writing of this paper 

 were made mainly in Jamaica, W. I., at intervals between the 

 14th of June and the middle of August, 1897, while the writer 

 was a member of the Marine Biological Laboratory of the Johns 

 Hopkins University, located for that summer at Port Antonio. 



Soon after our arrival an abundance of material, with most of 

 the females bearing egg and brood pouches, was discovered upon 

 the Bogg Estate, just to the west of the above named town. The 

 majoritv of the specimens collected (several hundred in all) 

 belong to a single species, Chelanops oblongus. Ten specimens 

 only of another, a smaller, more active species, but with larger 

 mandibles (chelicerae) and with a more rectangular abdomen, 

 were found in the same locality living together with the previous 

 species. This smaller species is Chthonius pennsylvanicus, 

 Hagen. 



I believe it proper to add here, that I was turned aside from 

 this to other work soon after my return from Jamaica, and 

 that before I had identified these species. Later, when 1 desired 

 to identify them I had no facilities, and in 1900 sent specimens 

 to the Smithsonian Institution. These were promptly identified 

 for me by Mr. Nathan Banks, Honorary Curator of the Section 

 of Arachnida, as the species above named. I have only recently 

 had the opportunity to identify them for myself at the Ohio 

 State University, using Mr. Bank's key (III). 



The Pseudoscorpionidae (Chernetidae) constitute an order in 

 the Class Arachnoidea, or spider-like animals, and some species 

 are very small. The specimens in L. Balsan's list (I) range 

 from 1.20 to 7.10 mm. in length. The C. oblongus from Jamaica 

 measures 3.33 to 4.00 mm. ; some specimens collected by Profes- 

 sor Jas. S. Hine at Georgesville, Ohio, measure only 2.00 mm., 

 but are evidently not fully matured. The males are slightly 

 smaller than the females. C. pennsylvanicus measures 1.90 

 mm. only. They are called Pseudoscorpions because of their 

 resemblance to real scorpions, except in size and in the absence 

 of the post-abdomen and a poison sting. Many species are 

 blind, including C. oblongus; C. pennsylvanicus has four small 

 eyes. 



Distribution. — I was surprised to find that both the species 

 collected in Jamaica should occur quite throughout the eastern 

 U. S. Mr. Banks names the following localities for C. oblongus: 

 Ithaca, N. Y., Washington, D. C, Brazos Co., Texas, Citrus Co., 



* Contributions from the Department of Zoology of the Ohio State University, No. 23. 



