Can a Daddy Longlegs Spider Bite a Human?

Daddy longlegs spiders are from the Pholcidae family of arachnids. Commonly found outside or in the dark corners of homes, daddy longlegs are often nicknamed the cellar spiders. Although these spiders are rumored to be poisonous, daddy longlegs are harmless to humans.

Misconceptions

• Daddy longlegs spiders have a tiny segmented body, long thin legs and small fangs known as chelicerae. Daddy longlegs spiders are often confused with harvestmen, a type of arachnid that differs from true spiders due to its body structure and inability to make venom or silk webs.

Fangs

• Daddy longlegs have short fangs that protrude from the chelicerae. Although other arachnids with a similar fang structure are capable of biting humans, there are no documented cases of bites from daddy longlegs, according to the University of California (UC), Riverside.

Venom

• Arachnids in the Pholcidae family are known to carry venom. Similar to other spiders, daddy longlegs are believed to attack smaller insects and inject venom. UC researchers have not encountered incidents of venom poisoning from a daddy longlegs, so they are unsure about the effects of the venom on mammals.

Considerations

• UC experts on Pholcids believe that extraction of venom from a daddy longlegs spider is one way to determine whether or not these household arachnids are harmful to humans, but such toxicological tests have not been performed as of 2010.