Tiny Cave-Dwellers: A New Family of Pseudoscorpions Found in Israe

Israel is a country that lies at the crossroads of three continents: Asia, Africa, and Europe. This unique location gives rise to a rich and diverse fauna, with species from both the Palearctic and Afrotropical regions.

Among the many animals that inhabit Israel, one group that often goes unnoticed is the pseudoscorpions.

Pseudoscorpions are tiny arachnids that resemble scorpions but lack the stinging tail. They have pincer-like pedipalps that they use to capture prey, defend themselves, and mate.

They live in various habitats, such as soil, leaf litter, caves, under stones and bark, and inside nests of birds, rodents, or insects. Some of them even hitchhike on larger animals to disperse to new locations.

Pseudoscorpions are not well-studied in Israel, and the only available key to identify them was published in 1963.

Since then, many new species have been discovered and described, making the old key obsolete.

To address this gap, a team of researchers from Israel, the USA, and Germany conducted a comprehensive study of the pseudoscorpion fauna of Israel and published their results in the journal Taxonomy.

Two new families added to the Israeli pseudoscorpion fauna

(Photo : KHALED DESOUKI/AFP via Getty Images)

The researchers examined more than 3000 specimens of pseudoscorpions, collected from various locations and habitats in Israel.

They identified 61 morphospecies, belonging to 28 genera and 14 families. Most of the species are of Palearctic and Mediterranean origin, and only a few are Afrotropical.

Among the 14 families, two of them are new records for Israel: Syarinidae and Cheiridiidae. Both families are cosmopolitan and have representatives in the Mediterranean region, but they were previously overlooked or misidentified in Israel.

Syarinidae are small pseudoscorpions that live in soil and leaf litter. They have a distinctive feature: a pair of long setae (hairs) on the tip of their abdomen, which they use to sense their surroundings.

The researchers found two species of Syarinidae in Israel: Syarinus carinatus and Syarinus sp. The former is widely distributed in the Mediterranean, while the latter is a putative new species that will be described in a separate publication.

Cheiridiidae are also small pseudoscorpions, but they have a different lifestyle. They are ectoparasites, meaning that they live on the body of other animals, feeding on their blood or tissues.

They have a flattened body and reduced eyes, which help them to cling to their hosts.

The researchers found one species of Cheiridiidae in Israel: Cheiridium museorum. This species is known to parasitize various insects, such as beetles, flies moths, and sometimes even humans.

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A new key to the pseudoscorpions of Israel

In addition to providing an updated checklist of the pseudoscorpion species of Israel, the researchers also created the first illustrated identification key based on morphological characters.

The key covers all the 14 families and 28 genera of pseudoscorpions found in Israel and includes drawings and photographs of the diagnostic features.

The key is intended to facilitate the identification of pseudoscorpions by both experts and amateurs and to encourage further research on this fascinating group of arachnids.

The researchers hoped that their study will increase the awareness and knowledge of the pseudoscorpion fauna of Israel, and contribute to its conservation and management.

They also suggested that more surveys and collections are needed to reveal the full diversity and distribution of pseudoscorpions in Israel, especially in the less explored regions, such as the Negev desert and the Dead Sea area.