While this site deals mainlywith insects, a large number of non-insect arthropods can also be foundat Coal Oil Point. These are also important elements of the Reserve'secology, though we know too little about them to do them justice here.The Reserve's spider and mite fauna appears especially diverse, and weshow a few examples of these arachnids here. The dune spider Luticamaculata is rarely seen but common in the dunes in Santa Barbara andVentura counties. At Coal Oil point, this whitish spider can be seen insilk burrows around dune plants. They probably feed on larvae of dunebeetles.

Most reserve visitors also encounterbeach hoppers, which belong to a group of crustaceans known asAmphipods. These scavengers are associated with wrack piles and otherbeach debris. Species of the genus Megalorchestia are extremelyabundant in the wrack at Coal Oil Point, reaching numbers of 18,000individuals/m². The beach hoppers, together with many other species ofinsects, are the main food source for many shorebirds.

Arthropod Photos (click to enlarge)
Araneae - Spiders
Acari - Ticks
Amphipoda - Beach hoppers
Megalorchestia
Diplopoda - Millepedes
Isopoda - Pillbugs
Pseudoscorpiones - Pseudoscorpions
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