The term “daddy long legs” often sparks curiosity about what these creatures eat and how frequently. Understanding their true identity is a first step toward comprehending their feeding habits, as this common name refers to several distinct arthropods. This article clarifies the confusion and provides insights into their dietary behaviors.
Understanding “Daddy Long Legs”
The common name “daddy long legs” can refer to several distinct arthropods, leading to widespread confusion. Most frequently, it denotes either harvestmen (order Opiliones) or cellar spiders (family Pholcidae). While both are long-legged arachnids, they are not closely related. The name is also sometimes used for crane flies, an insect, though less commonly in discussions of eating habits.
A primary difference lies in their body structure. Harvestmen possess a single, oval body segment where the cephalothorax and abdomen are broadly joined. In contrast, cellar spiders, like all true spiders, have two distinct body segments: a cephalothorax and a separate abdomen connected by a narrow waist. Additionally, most harvestmen have two eyes, while cellar spiders usually have eight.
Their Diverse Diet
Harvestmen exhibit a broad and varied diet, often omnivorous or scavenging. They consume a wide range of organic materials, including small, soft-bodied insects like aphids, decaying plant matter, fungi, dead organisms, and bird droppings. This opportunistic feeding strategy allows them to utilize diverse food sources in their environment, such as leaf litter or under rocks.
Cellar spiders are predatory arachnids that actively hunt and ensnare prey. Their diet primarily consists of other spiders, including larger species like wolf spiders and even venomous ones such as redback spiders. They also prey on various small insects, including mosquitoes, gnats, moths, and flies. Cellar spiders are known for capturing prey much larger than themselves.
How Often They Feed
The feeding frequency of both harvestmen and cellar spiders is highly variable, influenced by several environmental and biological factors. Food availability plays a significant role, as both types of “daddy long legs” will eat more frequently when prey is abundant. Temperature also affects their metabolic rate; warmer conditions generally lead to increased activity and a greater need for sustenance. Their life stage is another factor, with growing juveniles typically requiring more frequent meals than mature adults.
Harvestmen, being opportunistic feeders, may consume food whenever encountered, often foraging at night. They do not have strict feeding schedules, instead taking advantage of available organic matter or small, soft-bodied prey. Spiders, including cellar spiders, can endure periods without food, sometimes surviving for weeks, particularly if they have consumed a large meal. However, if smaller prey are consistently available, they will feed more often.
Cellar spiders, when they capture larger prey, may feed less frequently due to the substantial energy intake from a single meal. If only small insects are available, they might need to capture and consume prey more often to meet their nutritional needs. The amount of food already ingested is a major factor limiting their subsequent food intake.
Methods of Consumption
Harvestmen have a unique method of consuming food. Instead of fangs or venom, they possess chelicerae, which are pincer-like mouthparts used for tearing and chewing their food. Unlike many arachnids that primarily ingest liquids, harvestmen are capable of consuming solid chunks of food. Their feeding apparatus, called a stomotheca, allows them to process solid particles.
Cellar spiders, like other true spiders, utilize fangs to inject venom into their prey, which serves to immobilize it. After the prey is subdued, they release digestive enzymes onto or into the victim, liquefying its internal tissues. The spider then sucks up this liquidized meal, leaving behind an empty husk. Cellar spiders also employ silk to wrap and secure their prey, especially larger or struggling victims, before the final consumption process begins.