Etymology of Harvestmen?

Question

Hey English people,

actually you are well-known for very boring animal names, but i was very astonished when i hear that you call a spider "Harvestmen". Can someone explain my the Etymology of this word?

Answer 1

We don't call spiders Harvestmen, they are completely different creatures. Harvestmen are sometimes called daddy-longlegs by children.

If you look at the body of a Daddy-longlegs with your magnifying glass, you'll see why it's not a spider. First of all, instead of its body consisting of two parts, the cephalothorax and the abdomen, as with spiders,  there's just one thing. A Daddy Longlegs has its head, thorax, and abdomen all fused together. Second, instead of the spider's usual eight eyes, a Daddy Longlegs just possesses two.