![long body cellar spider facts long body cellar spider facts](https://thumbs.dreamstime.com/b/long-bodied-cellar-spider-pholcus-phalangioides-house-78827534.jpg)
They regularly cannibalize each other, not to be confused with the shed exoskeletons left as the spiders grow.ĭefenses: If disturbed, the spider will shake its web back and forth quick enough to make the spider very hard to see to distract and confuse potential threats. This is ridiculous and completely false, they have mild venom that takes quite a bit to even immobilize their small insect prey. Previously the common name of this family was the cellar spiders but arachnologists have also given them the moniker of 'daddy-longlegs spiders' because of the confusion generated by the general public. One myth that surrounds these spiders is the fact that they have the most toxic venom of any spider but cannot bite because they are too small. These long-legged spiders are in the family Pholcidae. Prey is heavily wrapped in a veil of very fine silk, turning it whitish in color (see inset picture). I have even seen a deer tick captured by one of these spiders. These spiders capture large amounts of household pests such as mosquitoes, flies, larder chafers, drugstore beetles, meal moths, ants, Asian ladybugs and other spiders (ones that wander on the floors). They are extremely beneficial to have in your home. Outdoors around houses and in crevices or caves.ĭiet: Insects such as flies, beetles, moths, centipedes, ants, mosquitoes and other spiders. Habitat: Houses, barns, sheds, basements, under porches, outbuildings, under tables, in cabinets and corners, and under furniture. The largest are likely to strike fear with a leg span that’s almost 10 inches. They have long legs that can reach up to an inch in length and a small body about one-eighth of an inch wide. Their bodies are typically yellowish or grayish-brown with darker markings on their abdomens. Daddy longlegs spiders (Cellar spiders) According to the. They have eight eyes arranged in two rows of four each. The smallest spiders are barely visible at under 0.37 mm long. Wisconsin Natural Resources magazine wrote that, like the spider, it has eight very long legs that can be 30 times as long as its body. Though they are venomous (like 99 of all North American spiders), they are not poisonous. Spiders can also detect changes in air pressure around them, giving them an additional method of finding the location of their prey. Spiderlings stay in the web with the mother until their first shedding. The Long-bodied Cellar Spider has very small chelicera (mouth parts) and is not known to bite people. It is built in dark corners and crevices.Įggs: 17-42, held in a very fine sac of silk, held by the female in her web. Web: Irregular tangle of web strands, not very strong. Mistakenly called a daddy-long legs, a distant relative of all spiders. Spiders in this family typically have extremely long and skinny legs with small bodies. Somewhat translucent looking, females larger than males and can have distended abdomens from eggs within. Cellar Spiders belong to the scientific family Pholcidae. Description: Very long legged spider with small narrow body.