麻豆社

In the Autumn, harvestmen - with their exceptionally long thin legs and small central body - are some of the most visible and numerous invertebrates to be found in our gardens and countryside. For most observers, harvestmen are just long legged spiders; however this is not the case.

Autumn is the best time of the year to look for harvestmen and so Trai Anfield travels to Sheffield where entomologist Paul Richards accompanies her on a harvestman safari unravelling the many differences between harvestmen and spiders.

One of the joys of studying harvestmen is that most of the 27 species can be seen in and around people gardens and to illustrate this Paul leads the way into his suburban garden to explore. As they rummage amongst his garden borders, Paul explains that harvestmen are more closely related to scorpions than to spiders and that their scientific name Opiliones is Latin for "shepherd" referring to the ancient use of stilts by shepherds to watch over their flocks.

Harvestmen do not spin webs, and although they do feed on other invertebrates, unlike spiders they will eat berries and fruits.

After a thorough search of his garden, Paul reveals that although there are 27 recognised British species of harvestman, earlier that week he found what is believed to be a newly discovered harvestman in Britain; so newly discovered that this species 28 doesn't even have a name yet.

Producer: Andrew Dawes

First broadcast on 麻豆社 Radio 4 in November 2012.