Harvestman

Leiobunum rotundum

Not a spider — one oval body on stilts

Often mistaken for a spider, the harvestman is built differently: head, thorax and abdomen are fused into a single small oval carried high on long legs. It has no silk, no spinnerets and no venom at all, prowling damp corners on its stilt-like limbs.

Key figures

Size

Body just 3–7 mm, leg span up to 8 cm

Identity

Not a spider: one fused oval body, no spinnerets, no venom

Defence

Autotomises a leg that keeps twitching to cover the escape

Habitat

Damp leaf litter, under logs, on trunks and shaded walls

Diet

Small insects, mites, rotting fruit and fungal scraps

Habit

Rests in dense groups, brewing a collective foul scent

Life cycle

Egg → Nymph → Adult

Ecological role

An omnivorous recycler of the leaf-litter floor, it clears decaying matter and culls tiny soft-bodied prey.

Did you know

Grouped at a resting site, harvestmen release a collective repugnatorial scent — one whiff and most small predators move on.

Range

Europe and North Africa

Status

Common

Anatomy

• Abdomen — Joined to the front of the body with no waist — the clearest sign it is not a spider
• Cephalothorax — Head and thorax merge seamlessly into the abdomen, forming one undivided oval
• Eyes — Just one pair of large simple eyes, sitting close together on a little turret
• Jaws — Small pincer-like chelicerae handle the food; unlike spiders, they carry no venom at all
• Legs — The second pair is the longest and works like feelers, tapped ahead to taste the air

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