page_title: Amblypygi
section_title: Physical description
hierarchical_section_title: Amblypygi / Physical description
caption_attribution_description: English: A male specimen of tailless whip scorpion Phrynichus phipsoni (Arachnida: Amblypygi). a — mandible, l — trochanter, i — femur, e — tibia, d — hand, c — claw of chela, j — femur, k — patella, g — protarsus, f — tarsus of leg.
context_page_description: Amblypygi is an ancient order of arachnid chelicerate arthropods also known as whip spiders and tailless whip scorpions. The name "amblypygid" means "blunt tail", a reference to a lack of the flagellum that is otherwise seen in whip scorpions. They are harmless to humans. Amblypygids possess no silk glands or venomous fangs. They rarely bite if threatened, but can grab fingers with their pedipalps, resulting in thorn-like puncture injuries.
  As of 2016, 5 families, 17 genera and around 155 species had been discovered and described. They are found in tropical and subtropical regions worldwide; they are mainly found in warm and humid environments and like to stay protected and hidden within leaf litter, caves, or underneath bark. Some species are subterranean; all are nocturnal. Fossilized amblypygids have been found dating back to the Carboniferous period, such as Graeophonus.
context_section_description: Amblypygids range from 5 to 70 centimetres (2.0 to 27.6 in) in legspan. Their bodies are broad and highly flattened, with a solid carapace and a segmented abdomen, or opisthosoma. Most species have eight eyes; a pair of median eyes at the front of the carapace above the chelicerae and 2 smaller clusters of three eyes each further back on each side.
  Amblypygids have raptorial pedipalps modified for grabbing and retaining prey, much like those of a mantis; recent work suggests that the pedipalps display sexual dimorphism in their size and shape. The first pair of legs act as sensory organs and are not used for walking. The sensory legs are very thin and elongate, have numerous sensory receptors, and can extend several times the length of body.
caption: Parts of an amblypygid, from Pocock (1900)[5]
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