VERY IMPORTANT SPIDER BUSINESS

[hi_falootin]

so I'm remembering the regional dialect meme from a while back and this one question is bugging me:

What do you call the kind of spider that has an oval-shaped body and extremely long legs?Here's the thing: I remember a couple of people saying "a daddy long-legs is not a spider." I think it was mentioned that they only have six legs? This

Comments

[bitter_crimson]

I'm used to harvestmen. I don't think I've ever seen either of the other two. I didn't know they were called harvestmen, though. Thanks, Wikipedia.

I wouldn't be surprised if 6-legged ones are harvestmen that lost legs. BUT I also suspect that the "they're all 6-legged and that's why they're not spiders" thing might just be a common misconception/myth, confused with what wiki actually said about the segments of their bodies.

[hi_falootin]

ah, yeah, I'm leaning towards the misconception thing after reading these articles! I had just basically never thought about it because we get them pretty infrequently here (the spiders-there are crane flies EVERYWHERE when the weather warms up).

[flourish]

Crane flies are DEFINITELY skeeter eaters. FYI.

[phthoggos]

agreed!

[ichthusfish]

To the best of my knowledge, a daddy longlegs is a venomous spider, a daddy long-legs is an annoying winged insect ;)

Spiders are prone to losing the occasional leg. Vaccum cleaners are common culprits. They can cope quite well without one or two.

[hi_falootin]

yeah, spiders are probably one of the animals best equipped for losing a limb or two! XD and I've never seen the hypen difference! Wikipedia seemed to think using that using that name for crane flies was a UK/Ireland/Newfoundland thing.

[silencegolden]

They probably lose legs easily so they can escape from predators.

I did a google search for "daddy long-legs Oregon" and one of the few references that came up implied that daddy long legs =/= spider. It's a funny bulletin from the 1930s: http://ir.library.oregonstate.edu/xmlui/bitstream/handle/1957/14881/StationBulletin349.pdf?sequence=1

[hi_falootin]

lol what in the world is that bulletin? XD

that would make sense about the legs...the idea that I might find a spider leg somewhere and not know what it is creeps me out for some reason though.

[nietzscheansmut]

I'm used to thinking of daddy longlegs as harvestment, which are arachnids but not spiders (as are, say, ticks or scorpions). Many think of them as seriously poisonous (the standard story I recall says that they have deadly venom, but their fangs are too small to inject it into humans), but I'm pretty sure this is just an urban legend. I didn't hear crane flies called daddy longlegs until I came out west. I'm not sure if it's a west coast thing, or just the fact that I've met people from more places since I came to Oregon.

[hi_falootin]

yes, I think it's the arachnids =/= only spiders thing that confused me on that one!

I think the Mythbusters tested the venom thing...one of the articles mentioned that and apparently yeah, urban legend. Never heard anyone call crane flies daddy long-legs tho! just skeeter eaters or mosquito hawks

[rabid_bookwyrm]

I always called crane flies "mayflies," which I guess is some other thing? IDK. But I've also always called cellar spiders daddy longlegs, fo' sho'. How do you not have many in your rooms? We have bunches here. Maybe because of the basement; I know Cam has even more than I do down there.

[hi_falootin]

Mayflies I actually kind of like...they're way cooler/less creepy looking than the crane flies to me for some reason.

and I don't know, we just don't see them here! Maybe it is because we're on an upper floor and they tend to hang out closer to the ground?