Science
Related: About this forum'Behemoth' Daddy Longlegs Discovered in Oregon
Scientists have unearthed a monstrous new arachnid lurking in the woods of southwest Oregon and it's a beast.
The new daddy longlegs species, dubbed Cryptomaster behemoth, towers over other creatures of its kind. And like its cousin, the equally elusive Cryptomaster leviathan, the new species is incredibly difficult to find, because it hides out beneath the logs and leafy debris that blanket the forest floor.
The Cryptomaster leviathan was discovered in 1969 at one location in the coastal town of Gold Beach, Oregon. The mysterious creature belonged to one of the most diverse suborders, called Laniatores, which contains at least 4,100 species. (Daddy longlegs belong to the arachnid order commonly known as harvestmen, so-called because they often emerge during the fall months during the harvest.) [In Images: 4-Eyed Daddy Longlegs Helps Explain Arachnid Evolution]
Though the 0.15-inch-wide (4 millimeters) body of the creature is relatively small compared to that of tarantulas or other arachnids, the daddy longlegs towers over other creatures in its Laniatores suborder. As a result, its discoverers gave it the species name leviathan, after the serpentlike sea creature that prowls the deep in the Bible. The genus name Cryptomaster is a nod to the creature's elusive and reclusive nature.
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This hunt led them to the discovery of a completely new daddy longlegs species, also relatively huge, called Cryptomaster behemoth. (The behemoth, like the leviathan, is a biblical beast.) Both have the unusually short legs characteristic of arachnids of the Laniatores order.
http://news.yahoo.com/behemoth-daddy-longlegs-discovered-oregon-143645998.html
Human101948
(3,457 posts)Betcha they forgot bug spray!
alfredo
(60,065 posts)Human101948
(3,457 posts)What set you off?
alfredo
(60,065 posts)It wasn't directed to you. I was thinking of other useful tasks for the bug.
Human101948
(3,457 posts)Completely misread it.