harvestman (redirected from Harvestmen)

harvestman, arachnid, often called daddy longlegs because of its eight long, slender legs. The harvestman has a rounded or oval body possessing glands that give off an acrid scent. Its food consists of a variety of organic materials, including fluids from fruits and vegetation, animal tissue, and even other harvestmen. The unrelated crane fly is also called daddy longlegs because of its long legs. Harvestmen are classified in the phylum Arthropoda, class Arachnida, order Opiliones.

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daddy longlegs

 or harvestman

Daddy longlegs, or harvestman (order Opiliones).

(credit: E.S. Ross)

Any of the 3,400 arachnid species constituting the order Opiliones. Daddy longlegs differ from spiders in having extremely long, thin legs and a spherical or oval body that is not divided in two. The body is approximately 0.05–1.0 in. (1–22 mm) long; the fragile legs may be 20 times the body length. Males are smaller than females. Adults have a pair of glands that secrete a foul-smelling fluid. Daddy longlegs are very widely distributed in temperate regions and in the tropics. The U.S. and Canada have about 150 species. They feed on insects, mites, spiders, carrion, and vegetable matter. See also crane fly.