THE INSECTLIBRARY FIELD GUIDES
Daddy Long LegsIdentification, facts & practical guidance
Daddy longlegs is an ambiguous name. It commonly means a harvestman or a cellar spider; in some regions it also means a crane fly.
Compiled by the InsectLibrary Team · Updated · Editorial policy
Identification and lookalikes
A harvestman has eight legs and a body that looks like one rounded unit. A cellar spider has a distinct waist and usually sits in a web. A crane fly is an insect with six legs and wings.
Are daddy longlegs venomous?
Harvestmen do not have spider venom glands. Cellar spiders are true spiders, but the claim that they have extraordinarily dangerous venom held back by tiny fangs is a myth. The shared common name causes much of the confusion.
What to do next
Use body shape, leg count and the presence of wings or a web to choose the correct group. Continue to the cellar spider or crane fly guide once that distinction is clear.
Daddy Long Legs: species profiles
Explore 130 species profiles covered by this guide, with recorded names and available photos.
Tailed Cellar Spider
Crossopriza lyoni
(c) 祐, some rights reserved (CC BY)Harvestman Cellar Spider
Pholcus opilionoides
Northwestern Cellar Spider
Psilochorus hesperus
Physocyclus californicus
Physocyclus californicus
Psilochorus utahensis
Psilochorus utahensis
Psilochorus papago
Psilochorus papago
Eastern Harvestman
Leiobunum vittatum
Harvestman
Leiobunum politum
Marbled Cellar Spider
Holocnemus pluchei
Acuclavella shoshone
Acuclavella shoshone
Artema atlanta
Artema atlanta
Bishop's harvestman
Bishopella laciniosa
Showing 12 of 130 species. Browse all in →
Sources and further reading
- spiders.ucr.edu - daddy long legshttps://spiders.ucr.edu/daddy-long-legs
References support the subject discussed here; they do not certify every imported directory record. Regional sources describe their own locations. Read our source and correction policy.