Spiders that look like daddy long legs include harvestmen, common house spiders, yellow sac spiders, running crab spiders, and false black widow spiders.
Daddy long legs or Pholcidae, are also known as cellar spiders. They are very common and do not have venom. They are often seen in the corners of your house and they produce silk that is spun into threads long enough to form a web.
They have very long legs, which leads some people to mistake them for other spider species. They are commonly found indoors, so you might want to make sure which spider you’re looking at.
If you’re suffering from a spider bite, please consult a medical professional. This website is for entertainment only. We’re not medical professionals and you shouldn’t use this site to try to identify or diagnose any spider or spider bite.
Spiders that Look Like Daddy Long Legs
This is a list of spiders that look like daddy long legs spiders.
1. Harvestmen (Opiliones)
The harvestman spider is not a spider but an Opiliones. It is often mistaken for a daddy long legs because it has a similar elongated body and is not as hairy as some spiders. The female of this species has a more oval-shaped abdomen than the male.
The harvestmen do not have venomous fangs and they do not build webs, but they still feed on insects and other invertebrates. They have a strong bite and they can sometimes be found inside houses.
Some people may mistake harvestmen for daddy-long-leg spiders because the body has a similar shape and it also has very long, spindly legs.
It is rare to find this species indoors because they spend most of their time outside. Harvestmen also have chelicerae and pedipalps, which are common features of most spiders.
This animal is sometimes also sometimes called a daddy long-leg because of its resemblance to Pholcidae, but they are two separate species.
Related Article: Do Spiders Have Spider Sense?
2. Common House Spider (Parasteatoda Tepidariorum)
Although the house spider does not look like a daddy-long-legs spider, it is still often confused for one because both are commonly found indoors and in corners of houses, which leads to confusion. The common house spider is more closely related to the wolf spider than to the daddy-long-legs.
It is nocturnal and eats all kinds of small creatures. There are several different types of them, but only the nursery-web spider will look like daddy frequent legs spiders. The most common house spider that is seen in America is the American House Spider, which has a tiny body and slightly longer legs.
House Spiders are regularly found inside houses and other buildings, where they are attracted to the heat.
However, there are also many differences between house spiders and Pholcidae. For example, Pholcidae has eight eyes, while spiders have their eyes located at the front of their heads to help them see.
Read More: Why Do Spiders Have So Many Eyes?
These spiders also have two rows of spines on their legs, while daddy longlegs doesn’t. The former also has much longer legs than the house spider.
3. Yellow Sac Spider (Cheiracanthium)
The yellow sac spider is often mistaken for a daddy-long-legs because of its small size, however, the yellow sac is a separate species belonging to the Miturgidae family of spiders, along with the purse web spider.
Yellow sac spiders are slightly brighter than the daddy long-legs spider, and they also have shorter legs and slightly bulkier bodies.
The main difference is the size of the trunk, so you’ll see that the abdomen of the yellow sac spider is much larger and bulkier, which is the main distinguishing factor.
The yellow sac spider is one of the best predators, and they are often welcome by farmers. This is because they usually feed on insects and other arthropods that can damage crops or harm people. They are extremely common in the United States, Europe, and Asia.
Daddy long legs mainly feed on insects and other invertebrates. However, they are rarely found outdoors while yellow sac spiders are mostly found outdoors, but can sometimes wander inside by accident, especially in the countryside.
Related Article: 9 Fastest Spiders in the World
4. Running Crab Spiders
Running crab spiders are generally brown and they resemble the daddy-long-legs spiders. They also have long and spindly legs, and their bodies are usually darker in color than most other species, similar to a daddy long legs.
The crab spiders cannot bite humans but they will bite other insects and sometimes even frogs and toads. Some people mistake them for daddy long-leg spiders due to the similar appearance of their legs, but the two species are quite different.
Some crab spider species are known for the color-changing abilities.
For starters, Pholcidae spiders have much longer legs, smaller abdomen, and are more brown. On the other hand, one of the main features of running crab spiders that will help you distinguish the two species is their fangs. These will look like the fangs of a crab, which is where the name has come from.
Running crab spiders might enter houses as they search for their prey, but they are mainly found in gardens and among vegetation, so it’s not as likely to see them indoors as it is likely to see daddy long-leg spiders.
5. False Black Widow
Daddy-long-legs bear some resemblance to the false black widow spider. Although there are some differences between the two, they are sometimes mistaken for one another.
For starters, the false black widow has a much thicker body and it also has thicker legs, while the Pholcidae spider is much thinner. The false black widow can be dangerous to humans, although its venom is not as potent as true black widows and other widow spiders.
False black widows will also create webs, but these will look unorganized. The best way to tell the difference is to look at their bodies – the false black widow will be much thicker and larger than the daddy long-leg spider.
Conclusion
Daddy long-legs are a regular sight in our homes. They often find themselves in corners where they will search for food, as they hunt on insects that find their way into your home.
They are unique in their appearance, but some spiders look a bit like them, which often leads us to mistake daddy long legs for other species or vice versa.
Stuart is the editor of Fauna Facts. He edits our writers’ work as well as contributing his own content. Stuart is passionate about sustainable farming and animal welfare and has written extensively on cows and geese for the site.