What do you consider a daddy longlegs?

[Foxy Socks 2,599]

In different parts of the world, "daddy longlegs" can refer to at least three animals. The cellar spider, harvestman, or cranefly. These unique arthropods are all very harmless, and can be beneficial as well. 

 

Cellar Spiders:

These little spiders like to hang out in dark corners and eat small insects. They are a common find in many places.

 

Harvestmen:

In the order Opiliones, these tickly arachnids are actually not spiders, as they have one body segment. They are incapable of biting people, and even if they could, they are nonvenomous. These are what I consider daddy long legs.

 

Crane Flies:

They may look like huge mosquitoes, but they are harmless and will not bother humans. Unlike the other two, these are insects, having only six legs.

 

Here where I live, I have seen all three listed. However, I only consider harvestmen daddy longlegs. Perhaps some of you may call another animal not listed as one. So what do you consider daddy longlegs to be?

 

Edited September 28, 2017 by Foxy Socks

[Techno Universal 2,575]

Well here in Australia they are always cellar spiders!

[Victoria Sponge 1,017]

In the UK they've always been crane flies. I like to call them flying spiders because they look so similar despite only having 6 legs, I hate them so much and they are the only bug I don't hesitate to kill if they're in my room.

Cellar spiders and harvestmen are just known by those names here as far as I'm aware. 

Edited September 28, 2017 by Battenberg

[Catpone Cerberus 23,591]

It would be Harvestmen for me, but according to my language it's also a Crane fly since Daddy Longlegs translates to both Lukki (Harvestmen) and Vaaksiainen (Crane fly).

[KrazyDashie 1,847]

yeah it would also be harvestmen for me too  

 

crane flies are the ones that fly really funny like right? if so I call em drunk bugs

[Libra 11,691]

I call them "oh hell no" where I live, but they're usually just called daddy longlegs.

 

[Kyoshi Frost Wolf 41,383]

The title holder for daddy longlegs was always the Harvestman to me. I used to be so scared of them in my youth but now I know better. They still creep me out but of course I let them be. I have been seeing lot's of cellar spiders lately, they are good bug catchers. I actually haven't seen a harvestman in a long time. :|

1 hour ago, KrazyDashie said:

yeah it would also be harvestmen for me too  

 

crane flies are the ones that fly really funny like right? if so I call em drunk bugs

They always look like they are trying to find the door to go home but alas, they keep bumping into things. XD

[Denim&Venöm 18,782]

I'd call the first two daddy long legs, usually because I do not like getting up close and telling the difference.

[Ivan The Adorable 304]

I think most people here would only be able to recognize crane flies, if that. Think I've heard all three described as daddy-long legs, but its commonly understood to be one of those two non-winged critters.

[Foxy Socks 2,599]

2 hours ago, KrazyDashie said:

yeah it would also be harvestmen for me too  

 

crane flies are the ones that fly really funny like right? if so I call em drunk bugs

I once spent over half an hour trying to catch them to take outside. I am more scared of them because they can fly, but I have improved over my fears in the past few months.

[BloodDrops 762]

This i count as one ^^

 

[Envy 6,156]

I'm thinking Harvestmen are what I have always thought of as 'Daddy long legs', but maybe cellar spiders, too. I wasn't really aware of the difference.

Crane flies are completely unrelated to me, they're called May flies where I live.

[Libra 11,691]

3 hours ago, BloodDrops said:

This i count as one ^^

 

If I found a spider that big in my house I'd move to another country and carpet bomb the house.

[Jeric 46,851]

It was the name given to the cellar spider (Pholcus phalangioides) where I grew up. 

[StormBlaze 992]

there is no all of the above option! Its a generic term I use for anything spindley with a tiny body and annoying. 

cellar spiders are bloody gross to look at x.x almost always find dead ones *shivers* dead curled up spiders are worse than live ones imo. ew

 

[Lucky Bolt 35,062]

I've always called the extremely long legged brownish spiders with tiny bodies "daddy longlegs" my whole life, and when I was little I was terrified of them  Here in Florida they're different from the ones in the midwest, not as long legged and kinda creepy. 

Edited October 2, 2017 by Lucky Bolt

[pegapony 193]

Harvestmen : Here in Sweden if you translate it it´s "long legged spider" they have a real name that nobody cares about in daily language.

[Hachiroku 127]

I only use it describe a specific type of spider, in this case the cellar spider.

[PiratePony 8,475]

Harvestmen for sure. Always with a pompous "did you know daddy longlegs are not really spiders"....sometimes from me

[Dreambiscuit 9,690]

On 9/28/2017 at 0:42 PM, Foxy Socks said:

Perhaps some of you may call another animal not listed as one. So what do you consider daddy longlegs to be?

 

Fred Astaire. 

No one's gonna get that one. 

[Fluttershutter 2,441]

Around here people might call either of the first two a daddy long legs.

Crane flies we call "Oh ****! That's a huge ****ing mosquito!!!!!" (though I know it's not, they still make you cringe.)

[Leave a Whisper 703]

Where's the option for creepy? 

[Gabriel 560]

Have to go with what @The Cerberus said. You know, since it appears that we speak the same language.

So yes, "daddy longlegs" is both Lukki (harvestman) and Vaaksiainen/Kaalivaaksiainen (crane fly) but eh, I'm just going to go with the harvestman because I can't associate the term with flying insects for some reason.

Edited October 19, 2017 by Corvino

[Heavenly Inexplicit 309]

Always called harvestman "Daddy Long Legs".

And no! Daddy long legs are not the most venomous creatures on earth!

[Handsome Changeling 1,851]

I am quite lanky soooo.


Myself.