Cellar Spider, Long-bodied Cellar Spider, Daddy Long-legs (though this name is ambiguous)
Physocyclus globosus
Family Pholcidae (Cellar Spiders), Order Araneae. Key family characteristics include long, delicate legs and small oval or elongated abdomens.
Physical Description
The spider has a compact, oval-shaped abdomen and a distinct, rounded cephalothorax. The body appears relatively small compared to its sprawling, delicate legs, with a smooth, somewhat translucent texture typical of pholcids.
Size Estimate
Body length is approximately 5 to 8 mm, with a leg span stretching up to 4 to 5 cm. This specimen appears to be an adult or sub-adult.
Coloration & Markings
Pale gray to whitish base coloration with darker gray or brown mottled patterns, stripes, and markings along the dorsal carapace and abdomen, offering camouflage against wooden and dusty backgrounds.
Web Type
Irregular, three-dimensional tangle webs constructed in dark, undisturbed corners, basements, and cellars. The web lacks sticky capture threads but entangles prey.
Eye Arrangement
Eight eyes arranged in a distinct cluster on a raised tubercle on the anterior cephalothorax, consisting of a triad on each side and a pair of smaller median eyes.
Leg Characteristics
Extremely long, thin, and fragile legs with subtle dark banding. When disturbed, the spider employs a rapid vibration defense mechanism, blurring its legs to evade predators.
Venom & Safety Information
Venom Information
Neurotoxic venom tailored for small invertebrate prey. It has virtually no effect on humans due to small chelicerae and low venom volume.
Medical Significance
Harmless to humans. Bites are extremely rare, non-toxic, and typically incapable of piercing human skin. No medical significance.
Safety Recommendations
No safety measures needed as they are completely harmless. If unwanted indoors, they can be gently relocated using a cup and a piece of paper.
Habitat & Behavior
Habitat & Range
Cosmopolitan distribution in tropical, subtropical, and temperate regions worldwide. Prefers dark, humid microhabitats such as cellars, crawlspaces, caves, and building interiors.
Behavior & Temperament
Non-aggressive and timid. When threatened, it violently shakes its web to become invisible to predators or drops from the web to escape.
Diet & Prey
Insects and other spiders, including medically significant species like widow spiders. They use long legs to wrap prey in silk from a safe distance before envenomation.
Seasonal Activity
Active year-round indoors, with increased mating and wandering activity during warmer spring and summer months.
Description
Physocyclus globosus, commonly known as a cellar spider, is a familiar resident of dark indoor corners and outbuildings. With its delicate body and remarkably long legs, it is a master of structural stillness and rapid vibration defenses. Far from being pests, these spiders act as beneficial, silent guardians that help keep household insect populations in check.
Key Features
Extremely long legs, rounded grayish abdomen with mottled patterns, irregular tangle web, and the characteristic habit of vibrating rapidly when disturbed.
Similar Species
Pholcus phalangioides (Long-bodied cellar spider) and Holocnemus pluchei (Marbled cellar spider). Distinguished by subtle differences in abdominal shape, carapace markings, and geographic distribution.
Life Cycle
Females carry eggs in a loose silk cluster held by their chelicerae until hatching. Spiderlings undergo several molts and can live for a few years in optimal conditions.
Ecological Importance
Serves as an effective natural pest controller in domestic and agricultural structures, helping regulate populations of flies, mosquitoes, and other spiders.
Conservation Status
Not evaluated by the IUCN, but populations are secure, abundant, and often thrive in human-modified environments.
Interesting Facts
Cellar spiders are famous for their vibratory defense display, which earned them the colloquial name 'vibrating spiders'. They are also notable for preying on other, more venomous spiders, including black widows.
Photography Tips
Use macro lenses with good depth of field to capture the entire leg span and eye cluster. Diffused natural lighting or a ring flash helps highlight subtle carapace markings against dark wooden surfaces.
Identified: 2026-09-17T18:04:39.474929