Palpigradi

Physical description Palpigrades are tiny cousins of the uropygid, or whip scorpion, no more than 3mm in length. They have a thin, pale, segmented carapace which terminates in a whip-like flagellum, made up of 15 segments. The carapace is divided into two plates between the third and fourth leg set. They have no eyes. Some species have three pairs of booklungs[?], while others have no lungs at all.

Behavior As of 2003, very little is known about palpigrade behavior. They are believed to be predators like their larger relatives, feeding on miniscule insects in their habitat. Their mating habits are unknown, except that they lay only a few relatively large eggs at a time.

Habitat Microwhip scorpions need a damp environment to survive, and they always hide from light, so they are commonly found in the moist earth under buried stones and rocks. They can be found on every continent, except in arctic and antarctic regions.

As of 2000, approximately 80 species of palpigradi have been described worldwide, all in the family Eukoeneniidae[?], which contains 4 genera.