Mark recently posted on Facebook a picture of what he believed was the harvestman Dicranopalpus ramosus, a species that has colonised from the mediteranean area over the past few decades. The species is, or was, easily identified by it's habit of siting with all 8 legs stretched out to the side. I say "was", as a response to Marks post indicated a second species of Dicranopalpus was now recognised and had been found in the UK, D. caudatus.
A bit of a Google search found a paper on the two species, that included some useful photographs. D. caudatus is a slightly smaller beast that D. ramosus, but the shape of the "body" appears sufficiently different to allow either species to be identified. This sent my looking back through my photo's.
It looks like I've managed to photograph both spp this year.
This, I think, is a female D. ramosus as the body clearly broadens behind the rear legs.
whilst this is, I think, a female D. caudatus, lacking the noticable broadening of the body behind the legs, what broadening there is, is slight.
A bit of a Google search found a paper on the two species, that included some useful photographs. D. caudatus is a slightly smaller beast that D. ramosus, but the shape of the "body" appears sufficiently different to allow either species to be identified. This sent my looking back through my photo's.
It looks like I've managed to photograph both spp this year.
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