94 SOLIFUGAE 



then transferred to the jaws. When drinking, the tips are brought 

 together, thrust into the fluid and then employed hke a pair of 

 hands to hft the Hquid into the mouth (Hingston, 1925). The palpal 

 organs were originally described by Lichtenstein (1797) as organs 

 of scent, but later it was claimed that they were suckers. Towards 

 the end of the last century however, it was suggested on morpho- 

 logical grounds that the earlier view was the correct one and Hey- 

 mons (1902) claimed that the male Solifugae recognised the females 

 by the sense of smell, the receptor organs for which lay in the 

 tarsi of the pedipalps. After amputation of these organs, males in- 

 variably fled when introduced into the presence of a female. It is 

 not surprising, however, that the mating instinct should be des- 

 troyed by this crippling treatment. 



Solifugae can climb up glass or out of a bucket by means of their 

 pedipalps whose organs are undoubtedly suckers (Cloudsley- 

 Thompson, 1954). 



Enemies 



Little is known of the enemies of Solifugae, but Distant (1892) 

 in the Transvaal saw a wagtail attack a Solpuga hostilis and Pocock 

 (1898) suggests that they are probably eaten by insectivorous 

 birds, small mammals and reptiles. They have recently been found 

 in the stomach contents of an African Steppe Buzzard. Enemies also 

 include large lizards, other reptiles and other Solifugae too, for 

 cannibalism is by no means unknown. 



The ninth somite of Solifugae is suppressed in the adult and the 

 prosoma is joined to the opisthosoma across its whole width. 

 Nevertheless, there is a great flexibility between the two parts of 

 the body and the abdomen can be raised until it is almost vertical. 

 This action is common in life and results in a scorpion-like ap- 

 pearance, particularly in the short-legged black Rhagodidae. It 

 has been suggested (Cloudsley-Thompson, 1949) that this be- 

 haviour may be a form of mimicry; at any rate, that raising the 

 abdomen in this fashion may be an asset in deterring an attacker. 

 At the same time this vulnerable member is kept away from danger 

 and the foe is presented with a pair of gaping jaws surrounded by 

 five pairs of strong limbs armed with long bristles, short spines 

 and sharp claws. 



