The term "daddy longlegs" refers to a number of different things. This one standing on a pink zinnia is the one I am most used to. There is also a crane fly/mosquito hawk, and one or two types of spiders that are called by the same name. This however, is not a spider. The class Arachnida has several subclasses and orders. Scorpions and ticks belong to the arachnid family, and so does this guy. Besides "daddy longlegs," it is also called a harvestman or more properly, an opillonid.
.
As I said, it is not a spider. The opillonid has only one body section while Spiders have a separate cephilothorax and abdomen, but this character has only one. It has only two eyes, while spiders have eight. It does not produce silk or venom. That's right. The story that suggests these are the most venomous things on earth is a myth. That does not mean that they are not dangerous. If I throw one at my wife's face, it will almost certainly result in me getting a concussion. I'll just snap my picture and move along.
Posts
