PHALANGIUM. 
PHALAN'GIUM,/. in entomology, a genusof infers 
of the order aptera. Generic characters—Mouth with 
horny mandibles, the fecond joint with a very {harp 
moveable cheliferous tooth; feelers filiform; no antennae; 
two eyes on the crown, and two at the fides; eight legs ; 
the abdomen generally rounded. There are twenty-one 
fpecies, divided into two fedtions. 
Of all the infefts of this order, few will be found of a 
form more repulfive than that of the prefent genus, which, 
exclufive of its fpider-likefhape, is, in fome fpecies, armed 
with weapons refembling thofe of the genus Aranea, but 
operating with greater malignity. The Phalangia differ 
very much in fize, fome being very minute infedts, while 
others are equal in magnitude to the larger kind of fpi- 
ders. Some have imagined that all thofe threads with 
which the grafs and ftubbles in autumn are covered, are 
the production of the Phalangia. So numerous are thefe 
threads, that in the courfe of one day the whole furface 
of the ground is covered with them. Their ufes to the 
animal are probably to enfnare its prey, and to aflift it in 
travelling through the air. Their legs are uncommonly 
long, and flender; when caught by one of them, the 
owner parts with it to fave his body, and makes off with¬ 
out much apparent uneafinefs: this is alfo the cafe both 
with the crab and lobfter, whofe lofs is quickly repaired 
by the growth of a new limb. No experiments have yet 
afcertained whether the power of reproducing their limbs 
may not alfo belong to the infeCts of this genus. 
I. Mouth with a conic tubular fucker. 
1. Phalangium grofiipes: feelers four; body minute, 
cylindrical, glabrous; fhoulders tuberculate; legs long. 
It inhabits European feas. The body is of a dirty red. 
This infeCl infinuates itfelf into the fhells of mufcles, 
and deftroys the fifh. See the annexed Plate, fig. i. 
2. Phalangium hirtum : body filiform and hairy. It 
inhabits the Norway ocean, and is about the fize of the 
laft. 
3. Phalangium fpinipes: body linear, with four joints; 
fnout cylindric, tubular, defleCted; feelers four, the up¬ 
per pair chelate, the lower pair minute, and hid beneath; 
eyes four, feated on a conic tubercle; legs long, fur- 
nifhed with flender fpines or briftles at the joints. Co¬ 
lour dufky black. It is found in the Norwegian Sea; 
but is not of frequent occurrence on our coafts. It is 
reprefented, magnified, at fig. 2. 
4. Phalangium balaenarum : feelers two ; body ovate, 
red on the back. It inhabits European feas. Found 
under ftones. The fucker projects ftraight, is obtufe at 
the tip, with a round perforation ; the feelers as 
long as the fucker, and placed at its bafe; the legs are 
pointed. 
5. Phalangium fpinofum : feelers none; body linear; 
fnout long, cylindric, defleCted; eyes fixed in a conical 
tubercle on the top of the fore part of the body behind 
the fnout, placed two forward, two backward, and appear 
under a microfcope flrongly reticulated ; the tubercle 
on which they are feated, verrucofe : on the back between 
the hinder pair of legs is an ereCt cylindric tubercle, 
which in fome point of view might be miftaken fora tail; 
' the fummit of this is furnifhed with two minute fpines : 
legs long, flender, fpinous. This is reprefented at fig. 3. 
the tubercle, with the eyes, at fig. 4. the foot, at fig. 5; 
all magnified, the length of the body being not more than 
a quarter of an inch. Colour rufous-brown. The fe¬ 
male is furnifhed with a pair of long jointed appendages, 
which originate at the fore part of the thorax, and turn 
underneath, as defcribed by the figure. The life of thefe 
antennae-like members is for holding and carrying about 
their eggs. This fexual diftindlion in mod, if not in all, 
of the marine fpecies of Phalangium, docs not appear to 
have been noticed as fuch ; and for want of this know¬ 
ledge the fame fpecies have been differently defcribed. 
Thefe female appendages are very confpicuous both in 
Phalangium balaenarum and grofiipes; and are frequently 
Vol. XX. No. 1349. 
45 
found holding a quantity of eggs agglutinated to each. 
Linn. Tranf. vol. ix. 
II. Mouth without fucker. 
6. Phalangium bicolor: body roundifli and black above; 
legs very long, with teftaceous joints and tips. It is a 
large infedt, and is found in Swiflerland. 
7. Phalangium morio: abdomen ovate, black beneath, 
and bafe of the legs pale. It inhabits Norway, about 
rocks. 
8. Phalangium opilio, the long-legged phalangium: 
abdomen ovate, colour grey, whitifh beneath. This is the 
moll common infedl of the genus, and is called the long- 
legged, fhepherd, or harveft,//nrfer, being popularly con- 
fidered as fuch, though differing very confiderably from 
fpiders properly fo named. During the autumn it may 
be obferved in gardens, about walls, Sec. It is remarkable 
for its plump, but ffattifh, orbicular body, and its ex¬ 
tremely long and flender legs, which are generally fo 
carried that the body appears fufpended or elevated to a 
confiderable height above the furface on which the 
animal refts : the eyes are fituated on the top of the head, 
and refemble two very minute glafly globules : the colour 
of the whole animal is a pale greyifh brown. This fpe¬ 
cies preys on the fmaller kind of infers in general. See 
fig. 6. 
9. Phalangium cornutum : abdomen deprefled; man¬ 
dible conic, afeending ; feelers refembling legs. It is 
found in this country and other parts of Europe, like 
the laft, to which it bears a refemblance. 
10. Phalangium bilineatum : pale, with two black 
dotted dorfal lines. This and the next are found among 
the rocks of Norway. 
11. Phalangium diadema: thorax with an elevated 
fpinous tubercle on the back. This tubercle is furnifhed 
with a large eye on each fide. 
12. Phalangium carinatuin: brown; abdomen deprefled, 
carinate; the fore legs are one-toothed before the tip. 
It is found chiefly at Drefden ; and is about the fize of 
the opilio. 
13. Phalangium bimaculatum : abdomen black, with 
two white fpots. This is an Englifh infedf, and is defcri¬ 
bed and figured by Mr. Donovan. The body is very 
fmall, ovate, and black, with two white fpots; abdomen 
furrounded with a very fine fub-marginal white line; 
the legs are long and black. 
14. Phalangium aranoides : claws toothed and villous ; 
body oblong. This infedt is of a large fize and length¬ 
ened form; colour brown, covered with downy hair: 
the clafpers are Abort, but very large in proportion to the 
animal, and the tips are toothed internally, in fuch a 
manner as to bear a refemblance to a lobfter’s claw. It 
is a native of the warmer parts of the fouth of Europe, 
and of Africa, inhabiting fields, and by its bite producing 
moft painful fwellings on the {kin, and even, as it is faid, 
lometimes death. Mr. Herbft, in his excellent work on 
the Aptera, has ranked this fpecies, with fome others 
of a fimilar appearance, under a diftindi genus by the 
name of Solpuga. See fig. 7. 
15. Phalangium cancroides, the crab-like phalangium. 
A very fmall infedt, of a reddifh-brown colour, and of a 
flow motion, occafionally found among papers, dried 
plants, &c. See. Its ftiape is obtufely oval, with a fliarp- 
ened front, furniftied with a pair of very long and large 
jointed clafpers, which give the infect acrab-like appear¬ 
ance. This little infedt has been occafionally referred 
to very different genera. The celebrated Swammerdam 
confidered it as a fpecies of Scorpio; and of the fame 
opinion was the ingenious Roefel, in whofe work on 
ir.fedts it is well figured. In the Fauna Suecica of Lin¬ 
naeus it is made an Acarus, and Degeer inftitutes for it 
a particular genus under the name of Chelifer. It is a 
fpecies which feems to vary confiderably in fize; thofe 
which are found in our own country rarely exceeding 
the length of the tenth of an inch, while in foine parts of 
N Europe 
