Cellar Spider, Daddy Long-Legs Spider, Long-Bodied Cellar Spider
Pholcus phalangioides
Family Pholcidae, Order Araneae. Key family characteristics include long, delicate legs and an oval or elongated abdomen.
Physical Description
The spider has a small, pale, oval to cylindrical abdomen and a compact, fused cephalothorax. The body shape is exceptionally slender and delicate, with a translucent or grayish-brown appearance. The long legs are disproportionately thin compared to the small body.
Size Estimate
Body length is typically 7 to 10 millimeters, with an expansive leg span of around 5 to 7 centimeters.
Coloration & Markings
Pale gray, dull yellow, or light brown, often featuring faint darker markings or spots on the cephalothorax and abdomen.
Web Type
Irregular, three-dimensional tangle webs or cobwebs constructed in corners of ceilings, cellars, and dark crevices.
Eye Arrangement
Eight eyes arranged in two lateral triads and a pair of smaller median eyes situated on an elevated ocular tubercle.
Leg Characteristics
Extremely long, thread-like, and fragile legs with slight banding variations. They lack specialized heavy spination and often vibrate rapidly when disturbed.
Venom & Safety Information
Venom Information
Neurotoxic venom tailored for small invertebrate prey. Extremely mild to humans and generally incapable of penetrating human skin.
Medical Significance
Harmless to humans. Despite urban legends regarding extreme potency, they pose zero medical threat and cannot deliver a medically significant bite.
Safety Recommendations
No safety measures needed as they are completely harmless. If unwanted, gently relocate them outdoors using a cup and paper.
Habitat & Behavior
Habitat & Range
Cosmopolitan distribution worldwide. Highly synanthropic, preferring dark, damp, and undisturbed indoor areas such as cellars, basements, crawlspaces, and ceiling corners.
Behavior & Temperament
Docile and non-aggressive. When disturbed, they perform a rapid vibrating or spinning motion in their web to blur their image and deter predators.
Diet & Prey
Generalist predators feeding on various household insects, other spiders including larger species, and occasional crawling pests.
Seasonal Activity
Active year-round indoors due to climate-controlled environments, with increased wandering and mating activity during warmer months.
Description
Pholcus phalangioides is a familiar and harmless household tenant. Known widely as the cellar spider, its extraordinarily long legs and delicate body allow it to inhabit upper room corners and dark basements effortlessly while serving as an effective natural pest controller.
Key Features
Extremely long, thin legs, pale elongated abdomen, habit of vibrating rapidly when disturbed, and irregular cobweb construction.
Similar Species
Opiliones (harvestmen, which are arachnids but not true spiders) and Pholcus opilionoides; distinguished by true spiders having a distinct two-part body and silk-producing spinnerets.
Life Cycle
Females carry loose clusters of eggs wrapped in a thin silken layer in their chelicerae until hatching. Spiderlings undergo multiple molts over a lifespan that can exceed two years.
Ecological Importance
Act as valuable natural pest controllers inside homes by keeping populations of flies, mosquitoes, and other spiders in check.
Conservation Status
Not evaluated by the IUCN, highly abundant, and globally secure due to widespread human association.
Interesting Facts
Cellar spiders are renowned for preying upon other venomous spiders, including black widows, by wrapping them in silk at a distance before delivering a fatal bite.
Photography Tips
Use macro lenses with soft, diffused lighting. Photograph from the side to capture the entire leg span and cephalothorax details without disturbing the web.
Identified: 2026-07-28T07:25:58.986311