Chelifer cancroides (Linnaeus, 1758)

Acarus cancroides Linnaeus, 1758: 616 . Chelifer rutilans Tömösváry, 1882a: 202–203; Daday 1889a: 122; Daday 1918: 2; Novák & Dányi 2018: 314. Chelifer cancroides: Tömösváry 1882a: 206–208; Daday 1889a: 121; Daday 1889b: 25; Pillich 1914: 153; Daday 1918: 2; SzentIvány 1941: 90; Szalay 1968: 64; Mahnert 1990: 684; Harvey 1991: 487–490; Kárpáthegyi 2007: 89; Christophoryová et al. 2011b: 37; Novák 2011: 69; Novák 2012: 62; Harvey 2013; Červená et al. 2020a: 223. Chelifer cancroides cancroides: WPC 2023.

Occurrence: cosmopolitan (Harvey 2014; WPC 2023).

Known localities in Hungary: Budapest; Erdőbénye; Komjáti; Sárospatak; Sátoraljaújhely; Tapolca; Tolcsva; (Tömösváry 1882a). Ladány (Daday 18889); Simontornya (Pillich 1914). Pusztapó; Kőszeg (Szent-Ivány 1941). Bakony Mts; Gerecse Mts; Pilis Mts; Vértes Mts (Loksa 1966). Bátorliget Swamp (Mahnert 1990). Vál (Kárpáthegyi 2007). Bakonybél; Nyirád (Novák 2011). Sajóecseg (Novák 2012).

New data: Budapest: from bed, 10.06.1936, leg. JE (HNHM Pseud-1353: 1♂, 1♀, 1 juv.); Budapest: Baross Str. 15, 23.05.1989, leg. ??? (HNHM Pseud-1506: 1♀) ; Budapest: from book, 03.1982, leg. ZKO (HNHM Pseud-1355: 1♀); Budapest: from house, 24.05.1941, leg. AK (HNHM Pseud-1495: 1 adult); Pápa: 04.1896, leg. JW (HNHM Pseud-1361: 1♀) ; Pápa: from house room, 19.03.1910, leg. ??? (HNHM Pseud-1494: 1 adult) ; Pilismarót: from the attic of a church, 26.08.1953, leg. GT (HNHM Pseud-1498: 10♂, 13♀) ; Szigetbecse: from henhouse, 11.09.1988, leg. OM (HNHM Pseud-1811: 1♂) ; Szigetbecse: around a house, 18.09.1988, leg. OM (HNHM Pseud-1818: 1♂) .

Habitat preference: Chelifer cancroides was reported under dead wood bark in Lithuania (Krajčovičová et al. 2018). In Slovakia it has been found in bird nests, combined bird and mammal nests, and in synanthropic habitats (Christophoryová et al. 2017b). In Hungary it has been reported from henhouse (Kárpáthegyi 2007), from houses, under bark of oak tree, and in beehives (Novák 2011, 2012). During the present study this synanthropic species was found in beds, in books, in the attic of a church, in henhouses, and in and around houses.

Remarks: Chelifer cancroides was first recorded for Hungary by Tömösváry (1882a), and it is widespread across the country.