Help me de-bunk myth

[juggalo69]

My mother is trying to tell me the old daddy long legs are the most poisonious spider, but that they are harmless to humans because their fangs are too small to bite us. I need as many posts as possible with what ya'll know.

 

[Python]

I have done research on this and have never found anywhere that states that they even have the capacity to produce venom. As far as I can find out they are not venomous at all. Poisonous I do not know about, that is a different story. Poison is consumed while venom is injected. Venomous though they are not.

 

[JPD]

www.snopes.com

 

[Black Hawk]

in one of the "Mythbuster" episodes on the Discovery Channel recently they did this myth, completely false. they even got one to bite jammie which disproves both aspects of the myth.

 

[blacktara]

Trouble is

people tend to believe what they wanna believe, so simply citing a web page may not convince her

Go get one, and let her watch it bite you (if you can get it to do so)

When nothing happens to you, maybe she'll believe

If you drop dead, dont blame me

 

[Billdolfski]

There is no way there is any scientific evidence that this is true. Granted, i doubt they could even pierce your skin... or can they? Anyways, they're not venomous. Don't they eat mites or something? Don't need human killing venom to do that =P

 

[Galapoheros]

Isn't that irritating!!! I caught a Small Mouthed salamander when I was a kid and showed it to a neighbor. He was probably in his mid 60's. He freaked out and told me to put it down because (he said) it was very poisonous and very dangerous. He looked very concerned. He looked like what I would imagine someone looking at someone else holding a Gaboon Viper! Here's another good one. I went to Del Rio Tx. looking for stuff one year. Caught a big Vinegarone. I showed it to the hotel manager and he was very scared of it. He told me that he saw one kill a horse one time. Seems like you either like bugs and snakes or you are scared of them. Wonder if it's genetic? Ha! I have two nephews from one sister and one was picking up insects with curiosity as soon as he could walk and the other one always freaked when he saw them and is still scared of them, even though he is 15. The other one is a bug freak but I don't think he is getting allot of support about it. Daddy Long Legs aren't really spiders. Someone straighten this out for me...... I don't even think they have fangs. Don't they have mouth parts more like a scorpions, solifugids, and whipscorpions?

 

[cacoseraph]

My mother is trying to tell me the old daddy long legs are the most poisonious spider, but that they are harmless to humans because their fangs are too small to bite us. I need as many posts as possible with what ya'll know.

first of all, which "daddy-long legs" are you talking about?

1) There are Opiliones, a subset of arachnids, that do not even possess venom glands, and eat rotting vegetation and rotting animals. These are not spiders, but are arachnids. They have what looks like one body segment, with head and body being fused. The long legged varieties are often called Daddy Long Legs.

2) Pholcus phalangoides (er, something like that, don't want to look it up). These are called Daddy-Long Legs Spiders. I hesitate to even write this next part... but truth demands it. They *are* Theridiidae (er, Comb-foot spiders, i probably didn't speel that right either), which is the same family (or sub-family, i can never remember) as black widows. BUT! as far as i know the genus Latrodectus is the only one of medical significance in Theridiidae, and no species in Pholcus is medically significant. These might or might not be able to pierce human flesh, but their venom is not active against humans. These spiders are the killers of killers, however, and make mince-meat of any other spider unlucky enough to stumble into their web. I like these guys in my bedroom, as they protect me from the real "bad" guys =P

3) The flying ones. I remember these least about these. Crane flies or something. Not venomous... and they fly =P. Long legs. That's about it.

 

[Black Hawk]

3) The flying ones. I remember these least about these. Crane flies or something. Not venomous... and they fly =P. Long legs. That's about it.

why would anyone want to kill a crane fly? last time i checked they ate misquitos
@Bildolfski: the daddy long legs spider on Mythbusters bite Adam pretty hard, i guess it must have peirced the skin cuz i said he could feel a little sting like a mosquito bite for a second but as soon as it pulled away there was no pain, numbness, irritation....nothing!

 

[Imegnixs_Cinder]

http://www.washington.edu/burkemuseum/spidermyth/myths/daddyvenom.html
According to this site, the term "daddy long legs" applys to 3 different types of spiders 2 of which arnt even spiders at all.
Hope that link helps

 

[Wade]

P. phalangioides is not in Theridiidae, they are in Pholcidae.

Crane flies don't eat mosquitoes (annother myth), I believe they feed on nactar.


Wade