Opilio canestrinii

There are many benefits of doing pitfall trapping dry, rather than trapping invertebrates in liquid, but the one downside is that sometimes you catch something that eats some of the rest of your catch. In this instance I caught a Devil's Coach-horse Ocypus olens and it (presumably) proceeded to munch on another smaller beetle and this harvestman. I run the traps for just 24 hours to minimise this risk and find that usually the benefits (e.g. catch usually in better condition for live photos, less mess, accidental by-catch like toads or shrews are released unharmed) outweigh the disbenefit of the occasional loss through predation by other catch.

This harvestman was in pieces, and not all the useful pieces were located. One significant part, the base of the chelicerae with the horned projection, was not located, but I think there's enough to ID it anyway. The long palps seem to be typical of males of this species and I think the pair of projections at the front of the cephalothorax must be the diagnostic pair of twin tubercles above the chelicerae, although the latter was detached. The ocularium, overall colour pattern, pale trochanters and otherwise darker legs all seem to be consistent with males of this species.

male Phalangium opilio showing ocularium, assorted legs, projections at the front of the cephalothorax, chelicera and palp, Wendling Beck Environment Project (Norfolk, UK), 25th-26th September 2025