“Daddy Long Legs”
There’s a lot to unpack here.
Photo Credit: RawPixel
Introduction to Daddy Long Legs and Common Myths
In the US, we call these “daddy long-legs.” Let’s address the elephant in the room: what is up with that name? Apparently no one knows, and that will never stop bothering me.
Source: i-just-wanna-laugh-bro, Reddit. Originally Tumblr?
In any case, daddy long legs have never terrified me like other spiders - I can’t say I love them just yet, but I can be in the same room and feel okay. (If you’re not up-to-date on my arachnophobia, check out my previous two posts - Part I and Part II). But I just found out there is a simple reason for my lack of fear: daddy long legs aren’t real spiders.
These insects are commonly referred to as “harvestmen” in addition to “daddy long legs” - an equally disturbing name for different reasons - and they are not considered true spiders, since they only have one body part as opposed to the two body parts of true arachnids. Plus, they apparently only have two eyes, instead of spiders’ usual eight.
There is some confusion since we also commonly use the name “daddy long legs” to refer to the cellar spider, which looks similar but is a true spider. (And yes, I am more afraid of this one, which really makes me wonder what it is about the extra body segment that is more frightening to me.)
Images compiled by Hailey Robe using Canva. Photo Credit links: Wikimedia Commons, Flickr.
The name “harvestman” comes from the time of year that they are most often observed - late summer and fall, the time when humans are commonly harvesting crops.
Mythbusting: I hadn’t heard this before doing some research for this post, but apparently it is commonly said that harvestmen have the most deadly venom of all spiders, but their fangs are too short to bite humans. This isn’t true at all - they don’t produce venom!
Harvestmen Characteristics and Behaviors
Diet: Harvestmen are commonly seen around homes and in gardens, under rocks and mulch or on tree trunks. They are a beneficial predator of other insects, consuming aphids, grasshoppers, beetle larvae (and ladybug eggs), slugs, and many other insects - including other harvestmen! But in addition to live prey, some species of harvestmen will also consume feces and decaying organic material, providing an important ecosystem service. They are susceptible to dehydration and commonly look for shelter from the sun, and they often hunt at night.
Photo Credit: Picryl
Defenses: What eats harvestmen? Pretty much anything. Birds, amphibians, mammals, scorpions and other arachnids all consume harvestmen. If threatened by a predator, harvestmen have a variety of defenses available:
They might emit a strange-smelling defensive compound (the exact chemical composition varies between species) that will distract the predator.
If a predator grabs one of their legs, it might detach and twitch for up to an hour to distract the predator and allow the harvestman to get away. (Note: The leg will not regenerate).
Some harvestmen species will “bob” as a defensive mechanism, vibrating their bodies to make it harder for a predator to grab them.
Some harvestmen species will form aggregations - groups of a few to a hundred harvestmen - to help defend against predators. Aggregations may also “reduce water loss and/ or improve mating success.”
The photo below looks ominous - actually, most photos I found of this behavior do (some have so many harvestmen it looks like hair is growing on a rock!) but this is kind of a nice behavior - from an anthropomorphizing perspective!
Photo Credit: Luis Fernández García, Wikimedia Commons
Characteristics: Unlike true arachnids, harvestmen have only two eyes; they can see varying differences in light, but they primarily sense their environment using their second pair of legs, which contains sensory hairs that can “detect vibrations and possibly olfactory cues from prey.”
Photo Credit: John Flannery, Flickr
Ecosystem Services
Since harvestmen provide important ecosystem services, such as cleaning up decomposing material and keeping other insect populations in check, you may want to invite them into your garden!
Photo Credit: phi zeroth, Flickr. Circle shows a harvestman inside a flower!
If so, it is important to avoid pesticides and insecticides, add rocks and logs for shelter from the heat, and plant a variety of (preferably native) flowering plants - harvestmen can eat pollen for protein when they can’t find other prey!
