Spiders???

The Daddy Longlegs



Then, in the distance, a glimmer of hope. I had visited a slew of arachnid websites, drawing blanks. In desperation, I E-mailed various names from the sites. Just when all seemed lost, Herman Vanuytven came forth from the Arachnology Home page (http://www.ufsia.ac.be/Arachnology/Arachnology.html). Herman's response:
"The problem with the 'Daddy Longlegs' is that the name is used for several kinds of animals, 2 of them arachnids:
1) The family Phalangiidae (a part of the opilionids [harvestmen], a different order than spiders)
2) a spider: Pholcus phalangioides
Number one doesn't have poison glands. Number two has poison glands but as far as is known in the scientific world, nobody has ever been bitten by one of them. It's not sure if the poison has ever been investigated since there was no need for it."

First of all, there are actually three kinds of critters called daddy longlegs. The common name daddy longlegs is most often used to describe Opiliones, aka harvestmen. Opiliones are arachnids, but not spiders. They have no venom glands at all, and are absolutely not venomous. The nickname daddy longlegs may also refer to a crane fly, which is a true fly and a member of the order Diptera. Crane flies do not pose a threat, either.
Sometimes, the name daddy longlegs is used for another group of arachnids, the spiders of the family Pholcidae. These spiders are also called cellar spiders.
Cellar spiders do have venom glands. However, there is no scientific evidence whatsoever to confirm that their venom can harm a human being. Not a single documented case exists of a person being bitten by one and having an adverse reaction.
Pholcid spiders do have short fangs, but not any shorter than other spiders that have been known to bite humans. The cellar spider's fangs are similar in structure to those of a brown recluse spider, which we know can and does bite humans. Again, there is no evidence or proof to the claim that their fangs are too short to bite a person.



Well, I am not a myth buster! Spiders are, like us, part of God's creation. Some are deadly, some are not and I guess it all depends on which side of the 'fang' you sit!