Pixel Wild
Long-bodied Cellar Spider
Long-bodied Cellar Spider
Pholcus phalangioides
Arachnida
COMMON

Stats

Lifespan
2-3 yrs
Size
Small
Diet
Carnivore
Activity
Nocturnal
Social
Solitary
Biome
Temperate forest
Range
Worldwide
Movement
Walking
Breeding
Egg-laying
Defense
Venom
Status
Common

About

When disturbed, the long-bodied cellar spider vibrates in its web so rapidly it becomes nearly invisible — a blur that confuses predators. Its body measures just 7–10 mm, but its spindly legs can span up to 70 mm, giving it a ghostly, oversized silhouette in the corners of basements and cellars worldwide.

Life cycle

  1. 1.
    egg sac
    A silk-wrapped egg sac shelters a clutch of eggs until the young are ready to emerge.
  2. 2.
    juvenile
    A spiderling emerges from the egg sac already in miniature adult form and starts catching prey almost immediately.
  3. 3.
    subadult
    A near-adult arachnid molts through several instars, growing larger and developing mature markings.
  4. 4.
    adult
    Fully grown after its final molt.

Learn more

Taxonomy

Kingdom
Animalia
Phylum
Arthropoda
Class
Arachnida
Order
Araneae
Family
Pholcidae
Genus
Pholcus
Species
Pholcus phalangioides