The Distribution of Harvestmen (Phalangida) in Great Britain and Ireland, with Notes on their Names, Enemies and Food

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Abstract
The name, Phalangida, is probably derived from confusion of harvestman with the poisonous "phalanx spider" of s. Europe. Harvestmen may escape their smaller enemies by striding away, by shedding legs that are caught, and by exuding a fluid that is distasteful to other invertebrates. Vertebrate enemies include fish, frogs, toads, lizards, birds and shrews. Harvestmen feed on other harvestmen, living snails, worms, millipeds, spiders and insects. They also act as scavengers on dead animal remains, on bird droppings, and occasionally on fungi. A study of the male penis showed clearly that Opilio saxatilis is a sp. distinct from O. paretinus. The distr. of 21 spp. is mapped and annotated.

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