A harvestman and a cellar spider may look similar because both have long, thin legs and are often called “daddy long legs.” However, they are not the same animal. A cellar spider is a true spider in the family Pholcidae, while a harvestman belongs to the order Opiliones. The easiest difference is body shape: harvestmen have one oval-looking body, while cellar spiders have two clear body sections and can spin webs.
Harvestman vs Cellar Spider: Quick Comparison
Both are arachnids, but only one is a true spider. This table gives the fastest way to compare them before looking at the details.
| Feature | Harvestman | Cellar Spider |
| Scientific group | Order Opiliones | Family Pholcidae |
| True spider? | No | Yes |
| Body shape | One fused, oval body | Two body sections |
| Eyes | Usually 2 eyes | Usually 8 eyes |
| Webs | Does not spin webs | Spins loose, messy webs |
| Venom glands | No venom glands | Has venom glands like other spiders |
| Common nickname | Daddy longlegs | Daddy longlegs spider |
| Human danger | Harmless | Not known to be harmful |
Are Harvestmen and Cellar Spiders the Same?
No. The confusion mostly comes from the shared nickname daddy long legs. In many places, people use that name for harvestmen, cellar spiders, and even crane flies.
What Is a Harvestman?
A harvestman is an arachnid, but it is not a spider. Harvestmen have a compact, egg-shaped body that looks like one piece. They do not have silk glands, so they cannot make webs, and they do not have venom glands.
Harvestmen often walk on walls, plants, leaf litter, rocks, and logs. Many species feed at night and eat small insects, decaying material, feces, carrion, and other organic matter.
What Is a Cellar Spider?
A cellar spider is a true spider. It has two body sections, long thin legs, silk glands, fangs, and venom glands. Cellar spiders are often found in garages, basements, cellars, caves, corners, and other protected spaces.
They usually hang upside down in loose, messy webs. When disturbed, many cellar spiders vibrate quickly in the web, which is why they are sometimes called vibrating spiders.
How to Identify Harvestmen and Cellar Spiders
The best way to identify them is not just leg length. Look at the body, web, eyes, and behavior.
Body Shape
Harvestmen look like a small round or oval body with legs attached. It can be hard to see where the head ends and the abdomen begins. Cellar spiders have a more spider-like shape, with a front body section and a separate abdomen.
Webs and Location
A harvestman walking across a wall, plant, or ground without a web is likely not a cellar spider. A long-legged animal hanging upside down in a messy corner web is more likely a cellar spider.
Look for these field clues:
- One oval body: harvestman
- Two body sections: cellar spider
- No web nearby: usually harvestman
- Messy web in a corner: cellar spider
- Walking over leaf litter or walls: often harvestman
- Hanging upside down indoors: often cellar spider
- Only two eyes visible: harvestman
- Spider body with fangs and silk: cellar spider
Daddy Long Legs vs Harvestman vs Cellar Spider
“Daddy long legs” is not a scientific name. That is why it causes so much confusion. According to UC Riverside, the name can refer to at least three different animals: cellar spiders, harvestmen, and crane flies. Only the cellar spider is a true spider.
| Common Name | What It May Mean | Is It a Spider? |
| Daddy long legs | Harvestman | No |
| Daddy longlegs spider | Cellar spider | Yes |
| Crane fly | Long-legged flying insect | No |
| Harvestman spider | Common but inaccurate name | No |
| Cellar spider | True spider | Yes |
Bite, Venom, and Safety
Neither animal is considered a serious threat to people. The main difference is that cellar spiders technically have venom glands, while harvestmen do not.
| Safety Question | Harvestman | Cellar Spider |
| Can it bite people? | Not like a true spider | Rarely, but possible |
| Has venom? | No venom glands | Yes, but not medically important |
| Spins silk? | No | Yes |
| Dangerous to pets? | Not considered dangerous | Not considered dangerous |
| Main problem indoors | Occasional nuisance | Web buildup |
Harvestmen do not have fangs or venom glands. Cellar spiders have fangs and venom glands, but they are not known to cause harmful effects in humans.
Harvestman vs Cellar Spider vs Crane Fly
Some people search harvestman vs cellar spider vs crane fly because all three may be called daddy long legs. Crane flies are completely different because they are insects, not arachnids.
| Feature | Harvestman | Cellar Spider | Crane Fly |
| Animal type | Arachnid | Spider | Insect |
| Legs | 8 | 8 | 6 |
| Wings | No | No | Yes |
| Webs | No | Yes | No |
| Body | One oval-looking body | Two spider body parts | Long flying body |
| Common place | Outdoors, walls, leaf litter | Basements, corners, garages | Near lights, grass, windows |
Crane flies may look like giant mosquitoes, but they are not spiders or harvestmen. Many adult crane flies cannot bite people.
Habitat, Food, and Home Control
Harvestmen and cellar spiders can both be useful because they feed on small pests or decaying material. Still, cellar spider webs can become messy indoors.
To reduce them around the home:
- Remove cellar spider webs with a vacuum or broom
- Seal gaps around doors, windows, and foundations
- Reduce insects by fixing screens and limiting outdoor light attraction
- Keep basements, garages, and storage rooms less cluttered
- Move firewood, stones, and leaf piles away from walls
- Avoid crushing harvestmen outdoors because they help clean up organic matter
Cellar spiders eat insects, spiders, and other small arthropods, sometimes catching prey larger than themselves in loose webbing. Harvestmen are often scavengers or omnivores and may eat dead material, dung, carrion, small insects, and plant juices.
FAQs
Is a harvestman a cellar spider?
No, a harvestman is not a cellar spider. A harvestman belongs to the order Opiliones and is not a true spider. A cellar spider belongs to the spider family Pholcidae. They look similar because both have long legs, but their body structure is different.
Is a harvestman a spider?
No, a harvestman is an arachnid, but it is not a spider. Unlike spiders, harvestmen have a single fused-looking body, lack silk glands, and do not have venom glands. This makes them easy to separate from cellar spiders once you know what to check.
Are cellar spiders dangerous?
Cellar spiders are not considered dangerous to humans. They are true spiders and have venom glands, but they are not known to be harmful. Most problems come from their messy webs in basements, garages, corners, and other protected indoor spaces.
Why are both called daddy long legs?
Both are called daddy long legs because they have very long, thin legs. The nickname is informal and can refer to harvestmen, cellar spiders, or crane flies depending on the region. This is why using body shape and web behavior is more accurate.
How can I quickly tell them apart?
Look for a web and body shape. If it has one oval-looking body and no web, it is probably a harvestman. If it has two body sections and hangs in a messy corner web, it is probably a cellar spider.
