the.com/harvestman
the spider that isn't, with one body, two eyes, and zero venom to its name.
means A long-legged arachnid (order Opiliones, also called a daddy longlegs in many places) with a single fused body segment, that is not a true spider and neither spins webs nor produces venom.
from A plain English compound of "harvest" and "man," recorded by the 1800s, named because these creatures grow numerous and conspicuous around harvest time in late summer and autumn. The same seasonal logic colors several of its old country names, like "harvest spider." The popular "daddy longlegs" label, meanwhile, is shared confusingly with crane flies and cellar spiders, but "harvestman" stays loyal to the reapers' calendar.
- not a spider
- It's an arachnid order called Opiliones, separate entirely.
- detachable legs
- Shed legs twitch for minutes to distract predators.
- single eye pair
- Two eyes perched atop a tiny periscope turret.
- ancient lineage
- Fossils show they've barely changed in 400 million years.
- no silk
- They build no webs and spin no thread.
opiliones order — over 6,500 species of arachnids with extremely long legs, found worldwide except antarctica
phalangium opilio — common harvestman species across europe and north america, also called daddy longlegs