Narrative

This lifeform is found in Florida, USA.

Sunscorpions (Order Solpugida) are a group of unusual Arachnids. They are frequently called Windscorpions because they can "run as fast as the wind." These creatures are native to the hot dry deserts of the world. They can be recognized by the two thick pincher-like appendages near their head. There are almost 1,000 different species worldwide; the United States has more than 100 of them.

Arachnid (Class Arachnidae) consists of nine to eleven different surviving orders depending upon how one divides the Arachnid class. In total, there are about 60,000 to perhaps 75,000 species grouped in the following eleven orders:

Order - - - - - - - Number of Species

Acarina-Mites and Ticks - 30,000
Amblypygi-Tailless Whipscorpions - 60
Araneae-Spiders - 35,000
Palpigrada-Micro Whipscorpions - 50
Ricinulei or Podogona-Ricinulids - 20
Pseudoscorpionida-False Scorpions - 1,000
Schizomida-Short Tailed Whipscorpions - --
Scorpionida-Scorpions - 2,000
Solpugida-Sun Spiders, Windscorpions - 1,000
Phalangida-Daddy Long Legs - 2,200
Uropygi-Whipscorpions - 70

The old order, Pedipalpida (Whipscorpions), has been divided into the following orders:
Uropygi - (Whipscorpions)
Ambylypygi - (Tailless Whipscorpions)
Schizomida - (Short Tailed Whipscorpions)

Jointed Legged Animals (Phylum Arthropoda) make up the largest phylum. There are probably more than one million different species of arthropods known to science. It is also the most successful animal phylum in terms of the total number of living organisms.

Butterflies, beetles, grasshoppers, various insects, spiders, and crabs are well-known arthropods.

The phylum is usually broken into the following five main classes:
Arachnida: - Spiders and Scorpions
Crustacea: - Crabs and Crayfish
Chilopoda: - Centipedes
Diplopoda: - Millipedes
Insecta: - Insects

There are several other "rare" classes in the arthropods that should be mentioned. A more formal list is as follows:

Sub Phylum Chelicerata
C. Arachnida: - Spiders and scorpions
C. Pycnogonida: - Sea spiders (500 species)
C. Merostomata: - Mostly fossil species

Sub Phylum Mandibulata
C. Crustacea: - Crabs and crayfish

Myriapod Group
C. Chilopoda: - Centipedes
C. Diplopoda: - Millipedes
C. Pauropoda: - Tiny millipede-like
C. Symphyla: - Garden centipedes

Insect Group
C. Insecta: - Insects

The above list does not include some extinct classes of Arthropods such as the Trilobites.