Leggy Bugs--Daddy Longlegs

Previously, I wrote about the crane fly as a leggy buggy. At that time, I made a passing remark about them being called daddy longlegs in the UK. (A humongous crane fly that landed on my door inspired me to photograph and write up about crane flies before writing this daddy longlegs article.)

Did you know that daddy longlegs can be three types of very long-legged bugs? "Why Are They Called Daddy Longlegs?" explains.

That name is often used to describe several different creatures. For example, it may be used to describe the long-legged crane fly, which is an insect, or long-legged cellar spiders, which are true spiders. Mostly, though, daddy longlegs is used to refer to Opiliones, which are an order of arachnids also known as harvestmen. … Harvestmen have one body section and two eyes, while most spiders have two body sections and eight eyes.

The following table lists some very basic differences among them.

	large crane fly	cellar spider	harvestman
# legs	6	8	8
wings?	y	n	n
# eyes	2	8	2
silk/web spinner?	n	y	n
body sections	head, thorax, abcomen	head/thorax (cephalothorax), abdomen	single section

View my pixstrip for rudimentary drawings of the bugs; the text indicates very abbreviated animal hierarchy.

"Who's the daddy? Are daddy longlegs actually spiders? Are they poisonous and how do you get rid of them?" has a few good passages that describe these bugs.

While the common English insect commonly referred to as a daddy long-legs is in fact NOT a spider, there is actually also a type of spider that is sometimes also referred to as a daddy long-legs and another type of arachnid that is also known as a daddy long-legs.

Brits generally use the word daddy long-legs to refer to craneflies – long-legged winged insects which are not spiders.

The article has sections for bird's eye views (grin) about comparing and contrasting the three bugs:

• What are the differences between craneflies and spiders?
• What are the similarities between harvestmen and spiders?
• What are the differences between harvestmen and spiders?

"Daddy Longlegs: Spiders & Other Critters" provides good overview differentiations also, including the following topics:

• Harvestmen & crane flies
• Cellar spiders
• Taxonomy/classification for cellar spiders, harvestmen, and crane flies

Visit BugGuide's three sites for these leggy bugs, which include tabs for taxonomy, general information, images, and US map of states indicating habitat (Data).

• Family Tipulidae - Large Crane Flies
• Family Pholcidae - Cellar Spiders
• Order Opiliones - Harvestmen

More resources:

• "Best Daddy Long Legs Explanation"
  Video includes clips and narration about all three leggy bugs, with emphasis on the cellar spider.
• "Myth: Daddy-longlegs would be deadly but..."
  Site includes side-by-side images of harvestman, cellar spider, and crane fly.
• 'Spider Identification: Cellar Spiders and Harvestman Arachnids"
  This video differentiates the two leggy arachnids—cellar spider and harvestman.
• "Cluster of Daddy Longlegs (Harvestmen) - Ajijic, Mexico"
  This video shows clumped harvestmen scattering, with text that explains basic differences between them and spiders.
• "What happens when you prod a Daddy Long Legs?"
  This video shows a cellar spider vibrating, using the movement as possibly evasion against a perceived predator.
• "Spider Anatomy"
  Arachnophobic? The diagram can be terrifying if you are, amusing if you're not.
• "Cellar Spider Catching a Crane Fly" This video features two of the three leggy bugs meeting for a meal. That's life, or not.
• Daddy longleg jerks (Far Side cartoon)
  From the body shapes (one segment instead of two distinct ones), I'd say these leggy bugs are harvestmen rather than spiders.

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Leggy Bugs articles:

• Centipedes and Millipedes
• Caterpillars (Lepidopteran Larvae, which Become Butterflies and Moths)
• Inchworms
• Crane Flies
• Daddy Longlegs
• Walking Sticks
• Praying Mantises
• Huntsman Spiders
• Grasshoppers