The crane fly, a member of a totally different class - insect, instead of arachnid - also wears the misnomer “daddy longlegs.” And while a crane fly’s limbs are lengthy, this insect more closely resembles the mosquito, albeit a larger, non-biting version. cellar spidersĬellar spiders are daddy longlegs look-alikes easily confused with harvestmen - so much so, even entomologists have taken to calling them “ daddy longlegs spiders.” Cellar spiders are different from the true daddy longlegs, though.įor starters, cellar spiders make their home inside.Ĭellar spiders also create massive webs, have two defined body segments and eight eyes, produce venom (not harmful to people), and prefer basements, crawl spaces, attics, garages, and barns to outdoor living. Other defense mechanisms include releasing an awful-smelling scent as repellent, “bobbing” up and down rapidly to make their bodies harder for a predator to hold onto, playing dead, and forming swarms with other daddy longlegs for protection. The limb will not grow back, but these arthropods have learned to compensate for missing ones over their more than 400-million-year existence. If it’s the latter, and the harvestmen finds one of its legs caught in the enemy’s grasp, it can choose to detach the affected limb to make its escape. These vibrations can signal approaching prey or predators. Most likely, their legs, which can be 30 times as long as their bodies, reminded scientists of the stilts shepherds used to walk on when observing their flocks from above.īesides helping them get from place to place, a daddy longlegs’ extreme limbs help them “hear” vibrations.

But instead of falling into the order Araneae, these critters are Opiliones - derived from the Latin “opilio,” meaning “shepherd.” Like spiders (and unlike flies), daddy longlegs are arachnids and have eight legs. And instead of two defined body segments, a daddy longlegs’ oval torso appears as one, tiny piece. Rather than six to eight eyes, daddy longlegs have only two - some species known as “mite harvestmen” have no eyes at all. Should You Kill Daddy Longlegs in Your Home?ĭaddy longlegs, also known as “harvestmen” because they’re seen more often in late summer and early fall (which is their mating season), sport distinct differences from common spiders found in your home.

Cellar spider daddy long legs oval body