Daddy Longlegs facts for kids

Daddy Longlegs is a common name that can be quite confusing! It's used for at least three very different creatures with long, thin legs. These include insects and arachnids (which are like spiders).

Understanding the differences between them can help you know what kind of "daddy longlegs" you're looking at. Even though they all have long legs, they belong to different animal groups and have unique features.

What is a Daddy Longlegs?

The name "Daddy Longlegs" is often used for three main types of creatures. These are:

• Crane fly (an insect)
• Opiliones (also known as Harvestmen, which are arachnids but not spiders)
• Daddy long-legs spider (also called Cellar spiders, which are true spiders)

It's easy to mix them up because of their similar appearance, especially their long, delicate legs. However, each one has distinct characteristics and behaviors.

Crane Flies

Crane flies are insects that look a lot like giant mosquitoes. They belong to the family Tipulidae. You might see them flying around lights at night.

• Appearance: They have very long, thin legs and a slender body. Their wings are often clear. They can range in size, but some are quite large.
• Diet: Adult crane flies usually feed on nectar or decaying plant matter. Some don't eat at all. Their larvae (young forms) live in soil or water. They often eat decaying leaves, roots, or small organisms.
• Harmless: Despite their mosquito-like look, crane flies do not bite humans. They are completely harmless. They are sometimes called "mosquito hawks," but they don't actually eat mosquitoes.
• Life Cycle: They go through complete metamorphosis. This means they have egg, larva, pupa, and adult stages.

Harvestmen (Opiliones)

Harvestmen are arachnids, but they are not spiders. They belong to the order Opiliones. They are often found in gardens, forests, and damp places.

• Appearance: Harvestmen have a distinctive body shape. Their cephalothorax (head and chest) and abdomen (belly) are joined together. This makes them look like they have one oval body. They have eight very long, thin legs.
• Diet: They are omnivores. This means they eat a variety of things. Their diet includes small insects, mites, aphids, and decaying plant or animal matter. They are helpful in gardens as they control pests.
• Myths: A common myth says that harvestmen are very venomous but cannot bite humans. This is not true. Harvestmen are not venomous. They do not have fangs or venom glands like spiders. They are harmless to people.
• Defense: When threatened, some harvestmen can release a bad-smelling liquid. This helps to scare away predators. They can also lose a leg to escape, which will sometimes grow back.

Cellar Spiders (Daddy Long-legs Spiders)

Cellar spiders are true spiders. They belong to the family Pholcidae. They are very common in homes, especially in cellars, basements, and corners of rooms.

• Appearance: These spiders have extremely long, thin legs and a small, oval body. Their bodies are often pale brown or gray. They build messy, irregular webs.
• Webs: Cellar spiders build loose, tangled webs in quiet, undisturbed places. They often hang upside down in their webs. They are known for vibrating their webs rapidly when disturbed. This makes them hard for predators to catch.
• Diet: They are predators. They catch and eat other insects and spiders. They are known to hunt and eat other spiders, including dangerous ones like black widows.
• Venom: Like most spiders, cellar spiders have venom. However, their venom is not harmful to humans. Their fangs are very small. They are not considered a threat to people.

How to Tell Them Apart

It can be tricky to tell these "daddy longlegs" apart, but here are some key differences:

• Body Shape:

* Crane flies have a clear head, thorax, and abdomen, like a mosquito. * Harvestmen have a single, fused body section. Their cephalothorax and abdomen are joined. * Cellar spiders have two distinct body parts: a cephalothorax and an abdomen. These are joined by a narrow waist.

• Number of Legs: All three have eight legs as adults. However, crane flies are insects, so they technically have six legs and two wings. The "legs" you see are their six legs. Harvestmen and cellar spiders are arachnids, so they have eight legs.
• Webs: Only the cellar spider builds a web to catch prey. Crane flies and harvestmen do not build webs.
• Venom: Only the cellar spider has venom (though it's harmless to humans). Crane flies and harvestmen are not venomous.

Images for kids

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  Opiliones

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  Crane fly