Long-bodied Cellar Spider, Daddy Long-legs Spider, Cellar Spider
Pholcus phalangioides
Family Pholcidae (Cellar Spiders), Order Araneae. Key family characteristics include very long, delicate legs and an oval or cylindrical abdomen.
Physical Description
The spider has a remarkably elongated, cylindrical abdomen and a small, rounded cephalothorax. Its proportions are extremely slender, with extremely long and delicate legs relative to its tiny body. The body is relatively smooth with sparse, fine hairs.
Size Estimate
Body length is approximately 7 to 10 millimeters, with a leg span stretching up to 5 to 7 centimeters. This specimen appears to be an adult.
Coloration & Markings
Pale, translucent greyish-yellow to light brown, sometimes featuring faint darker markings on the cephalothorax and abdomen.
Web Type
Irregular, loose 3D tangle webs or cobwebs constructed in corners, dark spaces, and ceilings, lacking sticky droplets but highly effective at tangling prey.
Eye Arrangement
Eight eyes arranged in two triads on elevated lateral tubercles, with a pair of smaller median eyes situated between them.
Leg Characteristics
Extremely long, thin, thread-like legs with minor flexibility, lacking heavy spination but allowing the spider to perform a rapid vibrating or bouncing defense when disturbed.
Venom & Safety Information
Venom Information
Contains a mild neurotoxic venom designed specifically for invertebrate prey. Completely harmless and ineffective against human skin.
Medical Significance
Zero medical significance. They are entirely harmless to humans, possess tiny fangs incapable of piercing human skin in almost all cases, and are completely benign housemates.
Safety Recommendations
No special precautions needed as they are completely harmless. If relocation is desired, gently guide the spider into a container using a piece of paper.
Habitat & Behavior
Habitat & Range
Cosmopolitan distribution worldwide; strongly synanthropic, predominantly found indoors in cellars, basements, dark corners, sheds, garages, and occasionally protected outdoor rock crevices.
Behavior & Temperament
Docile and entirely non-aggressive toward humans. When threatened, it violently vibrates its web to become a blur, confusing predators.
Diet & Prey
Generalist insectivore, highly notable for hunting and consuming other spiders (including venomous species like widow spiders), as well as small crawling and flying insects.
Seasonal Activity
Active year-round indoors due to climate-controlled environments, with mating and egg-laying peaking during the warmer spring and summer months.
Description
The long-bodied cellar spider is one of the most familiar and harmless inhabitants of human dwellings around the globe. Easily recognized by its remarkably thin body and impossibly long, spindly legs, it quietly occupies upper corners and dark recesses. Far from being pests, these agile hunters serve as voracious natural controllers of household insects and even other potentially dangerous spiders.
Key Features
Extremely elongated cylindrical abdomen, very long and delicate thread-like legs, pale translucent coloration, and the unique habit of vibrating rapidly when disturbed.
Similar Species
Often confused with harvestmen (Opiliones, which are not true spiders) and crane flies (Tipulidae, which are insects). Harvestmen have a single, fused oval body segment without a waist and lack silk glands, whereas cellar spiders possess two distinct body segments and silk.
Life Cycle
Females carry eggs in a loose, silk-wrapped cluster held directly in their chelicerae until hatching. Spiderlings undergo several molts, reaching maturity within a year and living for multiple years.
Ecological Importance
Acts as an effective natural pest controller in indoor environments, reducing populations of flies, mosquitoes, and other synanthropic arthropods.
Conservation Status
Not evaluated by the IUCN, but populations are extremely secure, widespread, and thriving globally alongside human habitations.
Interesting Facts
Despite the urban legend claiming they possess the most potent venom of any spider but lack fangs to deliver it, scientific studies have shown their venom is actually quite weak against vertebrates.
Photography Tips
Use a macro lens with a soft fill flash or diffused natural light. Focus sharply on the eye region or profile to highlight the distinctive body proportions and elongated abdomen against a neutral background.
Identified: 2026-09-03T09:09:25.406088