Stenochrus portoricensis
from La Palma, Canary Islands
Photo Hans Henderickx
A schizomid is an invertebrate animal belonging to the order Schizomida in the class Arachnida, in the subphylum Chelicerata of the phylum Arthropoda.
The name means "split or cleaved middle", referring to the way the cephalothorax is divided into two separate plates. Like the related orders Uropygi, Amblypygi, and Solpugida, the schizomids use only six legs for walking, having modified their first two legs to serve as sensory organs. They also have large well-developed pedipalps (pincers) just behind the sensory legs.
Schizomids tend to live in the top layer of soil.
Families of schizomids include:
- Calcitronidae
- Hubbardiidae
- Protoschizomidae
- Schizomidae
