Daddy longlegs --- most poisonous spider?

[Sauron]

I could’ve sworn I’d seen this topic discussed on here before, but a search turned up nothing. So …

You may be familiar with a spider called (in the southern U.S.) a “daddy longlegs” or “granddaddy longlegs.” It sports a small, brown body, about the size and shape of a worn pencil eraser. It has long, thin legs – two or three inches. They’re all over the place in Alabama.

My mother-in-law has said twice in the past week that these are the most poisonous spiders in the world, and the only thing that makes them safe is their lack of fangs. If they were able to bite, sayeth she, they’d kill people left and right.

I find this hard to believe. Any truth to this?

[Bottle_of_Smoke]

I’m not sure if it has been discussed in a thread, but it did come up as a staff report here.

[Sauron]

Thanks, Bottle of Smoke! I knew I’d seen it somewhere.

So, since the poison has never been studied, it’s possible it’s the worst poison in the world. It could also be the weakest poison in the world.

[dantheman]

From that there Staff Report:

1. The family Phalangiidae (a part of the opilionids [harvestmen], a different order than spiders)

2. a spider: Pholcus phalangioides

Number one doesn’t have poison glands. Number two has poison glands but as far as is known in the scientific world, nobody has ever been bitten by one of them. It’s not sure if the poison has ever been investigated since there was no need for it."

We have zillions of “Daddy Longlegs” on the East coast, especially in the hinterlands of New Jersey (see the Pine Barrens). I think these guys fall under category number 1 above, and therefore (according to Dogster’s source) are not poisonous. Could it be, Sauron, that your Daddy Longlegs are the same creature, and are therefore not poisonous anyway? Or are yours actual spiders (category 2)?

[Sauron]

*Originally posted by dantheman *

We have zillions of “Daddy Longlegs” on the East coast, especially in the hinterlands of New Jersey (see the Pine Barrens). I think these guys fall under category number 1 above, and therefore (according to Dogster’s source) are not poisonous. Could it be, Sauron, that your Daddy Longlegs are the same creature, and are therefore not poisonous anyway? Or are yours actual spiders (category 2)?

Well, hell, I don’t know. They’ve got eight legs. I haven’t lifted their skirts to check their plumbing, though.

[mongrel_8]

I am pretty sure that it is an urban legend. I used to play with them all the time when I was little. Here’s these pages to help in your search:
http://www.straightdope.com/mailbag/mdaddy.html
http://www.urbanlegends.com/animals/daddy_long_legs_poisonous.html

[mongrel_8]

Well shoot you all beat me. [/starts cussing slow computer]

[casdave]

I thought that the most toxic natural poison by volume came from a predatory shellfish.

The poison has to be extremely fast acting as its prey, small fish, would get out of reach very quickly.

[casdave]

Actually the most toxic poison comes from a frog

Most poisonous creature.

Botulinum toxin, the toxin produced by the organisms that cause botulism food poisoning, has an LD50 of 0.00001 mg/kg in experimental animals. The lethal dose of batrachotoxin, a chemical isolated from South American frogs, (and used on poison darts) is lethal to mice at a dose of about 100 nanograms under the skin. This is about 0.001 mg/kg, about the same as dioxin (TCDD). (See Casarett and Doull’s Toxicology.) Most human-made poisons are not in the same league, (but some of the confidential data on binary nerve gas technologies could be interesting). Any further suggestions?
Most poisonous snake

Not the Cobra or Krait or Boomslang; but the Fierce snake or Western Taipan (Oxyuranus microlepidotus) from Australia. Other snakes may have better delivery mechanisms, such as higher volume of poison or longer fangs, so these factors also come into play. Some sea snake venoms, which have not been studied as extensively as land snakes, may also be candidates.

Most poisonous spider

Probably the Sydney Funnel Web spider from Australia (Atrax robustus), but confirmation pending on this. Red-back spider (Latrodectus mactans hasselti) from Australia is also a candidate, although it rarely kills humans. The Funnel Web is probably the most dangerous to humans because of its size, aggression and delivery mechanism. Any offers?

My suggestion to the ladies, don’t go looking for Prince Charming by kissing frogs because.

A]It won’t work.
B]You may not survive the experience.
C]Cause it’s me!!!

[jayjay]

*Originally posted by casdave *
**
C]Cause it’s me!!! **

The frog or the prince?

jayjay

[Chronos]

Sauron, how do your “Daddy longlegs” use their legs? The northern creature by that name uses its first, third, and fourth pairs for walking, and the second pair (which is considerably longer) is used as “feelers”. I’m pretty sure that this is the non-spider variety.

[Sauron]

*Originally posted by Chronos *
**Sauron, how do your “Daddy longlegs” use their legs? The northern creature by that name uses its first, third, and fourth pairs for walking, and the second pair (which is considerably longer) is used as “feelers”. I’m pretty sure that this is the non-spider variety. **

Sorry to take so long to respond; I’ve been out of town. My “daddy longlegs” (and doesn’t THAT sound like an old blues tune) uses all four pair of legs for walking. I guess they really are the spider.

[AWB]

*Originally posted by Sauron *
**My mother-in-law has said twice in the past week that these are the most poisonous spiders in the world, and the only thing that makes them safe is their lack of fangs. If they were able to bite, sayeth she, they’d kill people left and right.
**

So, how does she know they’re poisonous if they have no way of delivering poision. (Kind of like the if-you-dream-of-dying-you’ll-die UL.) Did someone catch a bunch of them, make a stew of them, and die eating it? Maybe they choked on a long-leg.