Are daddy-long-legs Opiliones?
Yes and no! In English, there are three different groups of animals commonly called daddy-long-legs. They are: (1) Opiliones [although many kinds (species) have short legs], (2) cellar or daddy-long-legs spiders (these are true spiders which belong to the Family Pholcidae, (3) adult crane flies (true flies of the Order Diptera, Family Tipulidae). Tipulids look like large mosquitoes but cannot “bite.” Like most insects, they have three body parts (head, thorax, abdomen) and, like most flies, they have only two wings. Return to Top Can havestmen bite people? Not really. Harvestmen or Opiliones can pinch the skin with their chelicerae (i.e., claws with a moveable finger like a crab claw) but seldom can penetrate human skin. However, some have sharp spines that can cause bleeding. Some also can pinch hard with their back legs and cause considerable pain. These spines are especially found in males of some larger species in South America. Return to Top Are daddy-long-legs poisonous to humans
