Three different animals
In common usage, 'daddy longlegs' refers to harvestmen (Opiliones), cellar spiders (Pholcidae), and crane flies (Tipulidae). Only cellar spiders are true spiders.
Harvestmen have no venom glands at all. Crane flies are not even arachnids.
What cellar spider venom actually does
Pholcus phalangioides venom has been tested and is not unusually potent against mammals. Mythbusters and subsequent academic comment confirmed bites are possible but cause only mild, transient sensation.
References
- [1]Spider Myths - Burke Museum, University of Washington. Accessed June 2026.
Related in Myths vs. facts
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