INSECT RELATIVES: MULTILEGGED CREATURES
Eight-legged Animals
Ticks (Ioxidae and Argasidae)
Body egg-shaped in outline Very small head Parasitic on human beings as well as animals
Ticks are quite common at the beach, but only the tourist who ventures into the woods will encounter them. From the tip of a blade of grass they hook on to a warm-blooded animal passing by. In removing a Tick some care is necessary so that the tiny head will not remain embedded in the victim. Ticks can usually be persuaded to let go if touched with a lighted cigarette or daubed with rubbing alcohol.
Harvestmen (Phalangida)
Very small oval body Extremely long, slender legs
Better known as “Daddy-long-legs,” these creatures resemble Spiders, but are not very closely related to them. They are perfectly harmless and cannot bite. Most of them feed on plant juices or dead insects.
True Spiders (Araneida)
Body divided into two distinct parts All have poison fangs
Many spiders are to be found on Crane’s Beach. Most are small, harmless, and difficult to identify. However, some of the general groups may be readily recognized:
Sheet-web Spiders (Linyphiidae): A small spider, usually less than a quarter of an inch long. Its sheetlike web identifies it.
Orb-weaving Spiders (Argiopidae): All of these spiders build their webs like a wheel with radiating spokes. The Orange-and-Black Garden Spider (Miranda aurantia), a large species infesting grassy places in the fall, is typical of the group.
Crab Spiders (Thomisidae): The Crab Spiders do not construct webs, but their crablike shape and the fact that they walk sidewise will identify them.
Wolf Spiders (Lycosidae): This spider hunts its prey instead of building a web and waiting for its meal to happen along. Wolf Spiders are often large and quite hairy. The holes you find in the sand dunes are nurseries constructed by the female Sand Dune Wolf Spider (Lycosa pikei).
Jumping Spiders (Attidae): “Jumpers” have a rather fat body that is heavily covered with hair. They too hunt their prey, often jumping several inches to capture it.
Creatures with More Than Eight Legs
Sow Bugs (Isopoda)
Flat, segmented body Less than ten pairs of legs
The Sow Bug, commonly called the “Pill Bug,” is usually found hiding under a damp log. It is completely innocuous and will often roll into a ball when disturbed.
Centipedes (Chilopoda)
Elongated, segmented body Fifteen or more pairs of legs One pair of legs per segment
The Centipede is usually found hidden in a moist place. It feeds on insects killed by a poison injected through its jaw. Although Centipedes occasionally bite a finger, their poison is so weak that the bite can be ignored.
Millipedes (Diplopoda)
Hard, segmented, worm-shaped body Two pair of legs per segment Roll into a ball when disturbed
The Millipede is found in much the same habitat as the Centipede, under a board or rock or inside a rotten stump. It is harmless, and lives for the most part on decaying plants.