One researcher reporting in the Journal of Arachnology noted that the resulting “loss of fitness” is still preferable to “a catastrophic loss of fitness (e.g. They’ve even developed a unique muscle attachment that minimizes bleeding when they do have to jettison an appendage. They are found in fields and meadows, both nocturnally and on bright days.Ī DLL might shed a leg if a predator grabbed it or if a venomous invertebrate stung/bit it (it’s called “leg autotomy”). Males are smaller-bodied and brighter-colored. When they clean themselves, which is often, they pay special attention to the second pair of legs. A startled DLL may wave these sensory legs in the air. The senses of taste, touch and smell are incorporated in the longer, second pair of their four pairs of legs. They hear via vibrations their eyes are on short stalks that look like antennae (but arachnids don’t have antennae) and their eyesight is poor. The DLL’s waist is broad, leading one author to say it resembles a rice krispies on legs (they can move pretty fast on those long legs). They are made up of two body segments, a cephalothorax (fused head and body) and an abdomen. Under the big umbrella of the class Arachnida, they belong in the order Opiliones, not with the true spiders in the order Araneae (there are some nice Greek myths about Ariadne and Arachne, and the BugLady trusts that BugFans will look them up on their own).ĭLLs have had the same basic design for the past 400 million years, give or take. Harvestman, (because the first species to be described were collected during harvest time, and because they are numerous then) are in the phylum Arthropoda (jointed legs), which consists of the classes Crustacea, Insecta and Arachnida and which, according to one author, accounts for about 80% of “living creatures.” Don’t let the eight legs and the spider-like appearance fool you Daddy longlegs are not true spiders. The original has been enhanced with a few new, educational tidbits. Both “Daddy Longlegs” are not known to bite.The BugLady is busy and offers this rerun from 4 ½ years ago.

They are non-poisonous and are considered to be beneficial in a garden, ridding it of insects, slugs, and mites. When they are not living in the home, garage, or shed, Cellar spiders are found in naturally protected areas like rock piles and caves.ĭespite the urban legend that states, “ Daddy Longlegs are the most poisonous spider but their fangs are too short to bite humans……? Daddy Longlegs do not possess poison glands. They shake their web violently to ward of predators and use it to catch and eat other spiders, moths, gnats, flies, mosquitoes, and other creatures common indoors. These spiders will eat other spiders, even black widows.Ĭellar Daddy Longlegs do build webs and hang out in ceiling corners. They were always called by the common name of “Daddy Longlegs? by the general public, so because of the confusion, Arachnologists have gone ahead and given Cellar spiders the nickname of “Daddy Longlegs.? Unlike true Daddy Longlegs, Cellar spiders have 2 basic body parts, 8 legs, and 8 eyes (all clumped together). Daddy Longlegs) are in the family Pholcidae. Close-up of Cellar Spider ( Pholcus phalangioides) Cellar spiders: (A.K.A.

Why do long bodied cellar spiders shake