Nelima sp. (Roewer, 1910)

Scientific name: Nelima sp. (Roewer, 1910)
Common name:
French name:
Order: Opiliones
Family: Sclerosomatidae
Size: Examples: Nelima doriae : 3.2 to 5.3 mm, legs II can reach 34 mm long; Nelima sempronii : 3.5 to 6.6 mm, legs II can reach 47 mm long.
Biotope: Meadows, bushes, under stones or wood logs.
Web: No web.
Observation period: All year (except maybe in January-February).
Geographic area:

Harvestmen of the Nelima genus are harvestmen with long legs. They have a rounded body, without spines, like harvestmen of the Leiobunum genus.
They differ from these last ones by their smooth coxae, without granules, and by small spines on the ocularium (close up side view required). The trochanters are pale coloured. There can be dark spots under the coxae.
I have found the following six species listed as present in France, Nelima doriae, Nelima sempronii, Nelima gothica, Nelima nigripalpis, Nelima religiosum and Nelima silvatica .
It is almost impossible to tell species apart further than Nelima sp. with only pictures.


Nelima sp. - Yvelines, France - October 8th 2011
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Nelima sp.
I have found this harvestman among the litter under a hazelnut tree in my garden. I have cleaned a small area to take better pictures. You can see the very long length of leg II. I think it is about 35 mm long.



Nelima sp. - Yvelines, France - October 8th 2011
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Nelima sp.
Here is a slightly closer view where you can see the smooth coxae with dark spots below.



Nelima sp. - Yvelines, France - October 8th 2011
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Nelima sp.
On this much closer view you can guess the small spines on the light-coloured ocularium.
There is a light-coloured plate ahead of the ocularium. The pedipalps are black. There is a broad pale central mark on the abdomen, without well delimited edges. You can see a light coloured transversal mark, like a flattened U-shape, at the rear.
I have found photo galleries where similar specimens were flagged as Nelima cf. doriae.



Nelima sp. - Yvelines, France - November 5th 2011
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Nelima sp.
I have observed this male next to one female Nelima sp.
The trochanters are pale coloured. On the non-reduced picture, you can see small spines on the ocularium. So I think that this one is a male of the Nelima genus.
I am wondering whether the very sharp whitish stripe, ahead of the ocularium, could be one key to tell harvestmen of this genus apart.



Nelima sp. - Yvelines, France - October 26th 2013
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Nelima sp.
I have done this observation exactly at the same place as the previous ones. That's to say among the litter of dead leaves under one hazelnut tree of my garden.



Nelima sp. - Yvelines, France - October 26th 2013
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Nelima sp.
Here is a closer view. However I do not know any criteria which could help to point to one species or another.



Nelima sp. - Yvelines, France - November 11th 2013
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Nelima sp.
On this November day I have done several observations at unusual places, that's to say on the west facade of the house.
I wonder whether these harvestmen have moved because I have collected the dead leaves and so disturbed their habitat.



Nelima sp. - Yvelines, France - November 11th 2013
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Nelima sp.
Here is closer view on which you can guess the small spines on the ocularium.



Nelima sp. - Yvelines, France - November 11th 2013
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Nelima sp.
I have slightly touched this harvestman, found on one side of a French window, in order to get a better angle of view for the picture.
I first thought that its sudden fall on the ground was a reflex of catalepsy. Having found it at the same place a couple of hours later I realized that it was really dead (maybe it was already dead when I touched it). I took this occasion to shoot an underside view.



Nelima sp. - Yvelines, France - November 11th 2013
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Nelima sp.
Here is one male observed the same day, again on the west facade of the house.



Nelima sp. - Yvelines, France - August 15th 2014
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Nelima sp.
This harvestman has been very kind to let me put a sheet of graph paper so that I can measure the length of its leg II. It is 35mm long.

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