Common harvestman

(Phalangium opilio)

Conservation Status

common harvestman
Photo by Luciearl
IUCN Red List

not listed

 
NatureServe

N5 - Secure

 
Minnesota

not listed

 
     
     
     
     

Description

Common harvestman is the most widespread species of harvestman in the world. It is the most often encountered harvestman in anthropic areas. It is native to Europe. It was introduced into North America, and it is now widespread throughout the United States and Canada.

The body is relatively “chunky” or oval, with the carapace and abdomen smoothly fused. There is almost always has a dark, saddle-shaped marking on the back, often with a lighter border. Males often have darker, more mottled bodies, so the saddle can be less sharply outlined but is still there if you look closely.

The legs can have faint or broken bands, even quite subtle bands.

 

Size

Body Length: to ¼

 

Similar Species

Leiobunum bodies tend to be rounder and more compact. The legs are very long, even for a harvestman, and they tend to be strongly banded.

Habitat

Disturbed areas; open areas on foliage and tree trunks.

Ecology

Season

 

 

Behavior

 

 

Life Cycle

 

 

Food

 

Distribution

Distribution Map

 

Sources

7, 24, 29, 30, 82, 83.

9/17/2025    
     

Occurrence

Extremely common and very widespread

Taxonomy

Class

Arachnida (arachnids)

Order

Opiliones (harvestmen)

Suborder

Eupnoi

Superfamily

Phalangioidea

Family

Phalangiidae

Subfamily

Phalangiinae

Genus

Phalangium

   

Subordinate Taxa

 

   

Synonyms

Cerastoma aduncum

Cerastoma brevicornis

Cerastoma capricorne

Cerastoma cornutum

Cerastoma curvicornis

Cerastoma dentatum

Cerastoma tirolense

Opilio angulatichelis

Opilio molluscus

Opilio praefectus

Phalangium brevicorne

Phalangium cornutum

Phalangium longicorne

Phalangium longipalpis

Platybunus nigrovittatus ssp. hungaricus

   

Common Names

brown daddy long legs

common harvestman

daddy long legs

daddy-long-legs

eastern daddy long legs

European harvestman

harvestman

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Visitor Photos

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Nancy Lundquist

common harvestman

What is this?

I thought it was easy...a daddy long legs. It doesn't match any of the spiders when I put it in Google search.

Luciearl

common harvestman   common harvestman
 

Found on Coneflower

 

 

harvestman

 

 

     
common harvestman  

 

Alfredo Colon

common harvestman  

common harvestman

MinnesotaSeasons.com Photos

common harvestman

 

Camera

Slideshows

 
 

 

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slideshow

Visitor Videos

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Other Videos

Weberknecht Phalangium opilio Macro Video
Chrigu wälti

About

Published on Dec 2, 2012

Weberknecht Phalangium opilio
http://www.Tierportraet.ch

 

Camcorder

Visitor Sightings

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Be sure to include a location.

Nancy Lundquist
9/16/2025

Location: West St. Paul

What is this?

I thought it was easy...a daddy long legs. It doesn't match any of the spiders when I put it in Google search.

common harvestman

John Valo
9/17/2025

The common harvestman (Phalangium opilio) is not native, but it is very common and widespread in North America. It is the most commonly encountered harvestman in many parts of the United States and Canada, especially in disturbed or urban areas. It is particularly well-adapted to live in human-modified habitats like gardens, yards, and even on the exterior of houses. It is known for its preference for vertical surfaces like walls and tree trunks, which makes it a frequent visitor to windows and siding. Therefore, if you find a harvestman on a window screen or the side of your house, it's very likely to be Phalangium opilio.

Phalangium opilio often has a distinct dark, saddle-shaped marking on its back, and the legs can have faint bands. Coloration on females is highly variable. Some Leiobunum species are also quite common in human environments. Their legs are often exceptionally long and tend to be more strongly banded than P. opilio.

The harvestman in your photo doesn't appear to be a Leiobunum species, primarily due to the proportionally shorter leg length. While a definitive identification isn't possible from this photo alone, the combination of its appearance and location makes it highly probable that this is a female Phalangium opilio.

Luciearl
7/25/2025

Location: Lake Shore, MN

common harvestman

Alfredo Colon
8/28/2022

Location: Albany, NY

common harvestman

Luciearl
8/5/2021

Location: Lake Shore, MN

Found on Coneflower

common harvestman

Alfredo Colon
6/7/2021

Location: Woodbury, MN

common harvestman

Luciearl
8/3/2018

Location: Lake Shore, MN

common harvestman

 

 

Binoculars