daddy longlegs
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See also: daddy-long-legs and daddy-longlegs
English
[edit]![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/50/Tipulid_March_2008-2.jpg/220px-Tipulid_March_2008-2.jpg)
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/cf/A_daddy_long_leg_aka_harvestman_spider_on_a_leaf.jpg/220px-A_daddy_long_leg_aka_harvestman_spider_on_a_leaf.jpg)
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/95/Daddy_Long_Legs_%28522941366%29.jpg/220px-Daddy_Long_Legs_%28522941366%29.jpg)
Alternative forms
[edit]Etymology
[edit]Pronunciation
[edit]- (UK) IPA(key): /ˈdædɪ ˈlɒŋ(ɡ)lɛɡz/
Audio (General Australian): (file)
Noun
[edit]daddy longlegs (plural daddy longlegs or daddy longlegses)
- (UK, Ireland) The cranefly; any insect of the suborder Tipulomorpha.
- 2004, Bill Hansford-Steele, African Fly-fishing Handbook[1], page 316:
- Daddy longlegs adults are weak flyers, falling onto the water surface in the lightest of breezes, and even on calm days.
- (Australia, Canada, New Zealand, US) Any (non-spider) arachnid of the order Opiliones, mostly with long thin legs; the harvestman.
- 2002, Maurice Burton, Robert Burton, The International Wildlife Encyclopedia, volume 10, page 636:
- Unlike spiders, daddy longlegs do not have a clearly marked division between thorax and abdomen. They are further distinguished from spiders in that they do not produce venom or silk.
- 2004, Clay Thompson, Marshall Trimble, The Valley 101 Great Big Book of Life, page 33:
- Daddy longlegs aren′t even really spiders.
- (loosely) The daddy long-legs spider, any spider of the family Pholcidae.
- 2010, Lou Bensinger, Tiny Invaders in Your Home[2], page 10:
- Another spider neighbor that is commonly found in homes is the daddy longlegs. The daddy longlegs is often called a cellar spider.
Usage notes
[edit]Some confusion exists because of the use of (almost) the same term for an insect, a non-spider arachnid and a spider. This is partly alleviated by some authors by reserving the term daddy long-legs spider for the spider alone.
Synonyms
[edit]- (insect of suborder Tipulomorpha): cranefly, tipulid
- (arachnid of order Opiliones): harvestman
- (spider of family Pholcidae): cellar spider
Translations
[edit]cranefly — see cranefly
harvestman
|
spider — see daddy long-legs spider