Crane Fly vs. Harvestman vs. Cellar Spider (What is a Daddy Longleg?)

This blog is the first in a new series I’m doing (comparing three commonly mistaken things) which is a little bit like one of MG17’s series.  This blog will be comparing harvestmen, cellar spiders, and crane flies, all commonly called daddy longlegs.

A harvestman is an arachnid that looks a lot like a spider, but is not.  A harvestman’s head, thorax, and abdomen are all fused into one, as you can see.  A cellar spider’s head, thorax, and abdomen are separated.  A crane fly, being an insect, has a merged thorax and abdomen.

A harvestman also only has two eyes compared to a cellar spider’s eight and a crane fly’s six.

Unlike cellar spiders, harvestmen can’t spin webs.

A cellar spider is an arachnid also.  They are often confused with harvestmen, as they look pretty identical to the average person.  A cellar spider has eight legs, eight eyes, and a liking for my bathtub.

Sometimes known as the mosquito hawk because it’s larvae feeds on mosquito larvae.  A crane fly is a large winged insect that behaves sort of like a moth because it’s drawn to light and comes out at night.  It has six legs and six eyes and is a insect.

Thanks for reading!  This blog was pretty short, and was just meant to explain the basic differences between the three bugs.  Which one do you call a daddy longleg?  Say so in the comments!