The Daddy Long Legs

Introduction: The cosmopolitan Daddy-long-legs spider belongs to a group known as tangle-web spider.

Identification: Daddy-long-legs spiders are easily recognised by their extremely long, skinny legs and small body. They are cream to pale brown. Some species have darker markings on their legs and abdomen.

Habitat: Daddy-long-legs are found in most urban areas, in particular houses. They make a thin, tangled web in sheltered positions where they are unlikely to be disturbed, such as under decks. Its successful use of these human-made structures has made it one of the most common spiders in Australia. If the Daddy-long-legs spider is disturbed in the web it responds by setting up a very fast, spinning motion, becoming a blur to anyone watching..

Distribution:  This spider is found throughout Australia. It is a cosmopolitan species that originates from Europe and was introduced accidentally into Australia.

Danger to humans?: There is a persistent belief that the Daddy-long-legs spider has the most toxic venom of all spiders. However, there is no scientific evidence to back this up. The myth probably grew from observations that the Daddy-long-legs spider will kill and eat a Redback spider. However, the venom is not actually that potent, even for insects.

It has been though that the fangs of this spider were incapable of piercing human skin. Recently, however, it was shown that the tiny fangs (about 0.25mm) were actually capable of piercing human skin in a test done on the TV show Mythbusters, but the stinging sensation produced was very short-lived. Most reputable sources still say that this species would never be considered as harmful to humans. However, in the unlikely event of a bite from this species, a positive identification of the spider by an expert should be made and medical attention if any reaction persists for more than a short time.