![]() (Photo by Trent Pearce, Instagram: last candidate for “daddy longlegs” are true spiders in the genus Pholcus. Pholcus phalangioides, the cellar spider. The irony of this group and its collection of common names is that many Tipulomorphs emerge from their pupal phase as an adult with no functional mouthparts, meaning they can neither eat mosquitos nor bite humans. These flies, also called by the misleading common name “mosquito hawk,” are characterized by a slender three-segmented insect body with six very long, thin legs. (Photo by Trent Pearce, Instagram: some communities, “daddy longlegs” refers to yet another group of animals - large flies in the infraorder Tipulomorpha. Tipulomorpha, the crane fly, mosquito hawk or mosquito eater. In the unlikely event that this is the creature you’re asking about, the answer is no – Opiliones subdue their prey with their legs and jaws, and there are no known venomous species. While they frequented the basement of my childhood home, it is less likely to find them living in an urban apartment. They are different from spiders their body is made up of a single pill-like segment, two eyes, and eight legs. Where I grew up in the Southeastern United States, the term “daddy longlegs” refers to a group of arachnids in the order Opiliones, often called harvestmen. (Photo by Trent Pearce, Instagram: to your question, the organism to which you are referring will change the answer … a little. Protolophus niger, an East Bay species in the Opiliones order, sometimes called the black harvestman. Puma concolor is “the uniform colored cougar,” regardless of how local people may refer to the animal. One advantage of using this system of nomenclature is that the name is standardized across all languages, and we can all agree about the organism to which we are referring. These words were traditionally Latin, but may now come from a variety of languages and contain proper nouns. The binomial name consists of two words – the genus and the specific name representing an individual species as we currently understand it. This is why every recognized species is classified by a binomial name (sometimes called a scientific name). For example: puma, cougar, mountain lion, wildcat, catamount, panther, and even painter can all refer to the same animal – Puma concolor. “Daddy longlegs” is a common name, and common names aren’t standardized across regions, languages, or cultures. For that, we’ll have to back up a bit.įirst, we need to be clear on which species we’re talking about. But there’s a longer, more scenic answer. The short, most likely answer to your question is no. I’ve heard that the daddy longlegs in my apartment are the most venomous animal on Earth, but their fangs cannot penetrate our skin - is this true? -Antwon, Oakland
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