Leiobunum sp. A

Leiobunum sp. A

This caused some excitement the other day in the Harvestmen group I am a part of. Note that the ‘A’ at the end in the title is not a typo, but is there because scientists have yet to name it! It was first discovered in Europe in the Netherlands back in 2004, and then in the UK in Worksop, Nottinghamshire in 2009. There are a few scattered records as this non-native species extends its range. Despite rigorous searches, its point of origin in the world has yet to be determined.

Leiobunum sp. A

It has extremely long legs, up to 100 mm (4 in) in length, and an unusual dark metallic green sheen of the dorsal surface, especially in the male. It can form large congregations on shaded areas of walls of buildings which can be counted in their hundreds. Associated with stony ground, and found around buildings like houses and on brownfield sites and old industrial land.

Leiobunum sp. A

51 thoughts on “Leiobunum sp. A”

  4. shoreacres
    Reply

    What an amazing creature. At first glance, those attachment points for the legs looked like eyes, which was rather startling! Now that I’ve sorted it out, it’s no less intriguing. This is the first time someone I know has found a yet-to-be-named ‘something.’

    Liked by 1 person

    • Peter Hillman
      Reply

      I was quite taken when I discovered that it had yet to be named which makes the mystery surrounding it even more deeper. It is such an oddity, and to have it appear on my shed wall was quite a surprise, I can tell you! 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

  8. Vicki
    Reply

    Unreal. What an unusual sight. I only hope this ‘new’ species doesn’t turn out to be harmful to its environment.

    Liked by 1 person

  14. Rebecca Wallick
    Reply

    Whoa. The eyes. The legs. The “knobs” where the legs attach to the body. All so…strange! Hard to imagine what a group of hundreds would look like, and how they would move among each other!

    Amazing photos.

    Liked by 2 people

  21. Sandra J
    Reply

    Wow indeed, I like the one comment above where she said it looks more like a machine than a living thing. How unusual, and its legs. Just moving them must be a trick to not get caught on something. I have never seen anything like it. I can see why they are having a hard time coming up with a name.

    Liked by 1 person

  23. krikitarts
    Reply

    And I thought our Minnesotan Opiliones had long legs–and they do, but this is a step beyond. I see that, wherever we think we see natural limits in nature, she will respond with irrefutable proof that she can exceed them at each turn.

    Liked by 1 person

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