Cellar Spider (or Daddy Long Legs)
Scientific Name: Pholcus phalangioides
Order & Family: Araneae (Order); Pholcidae (Family)
Size: Body length is typically 2-10 mm, but their very long, slender legs can make them appear much larger, with a leg span of up to 50-70 mm.
Natural Habitat
Commonly found indoors in basements, cellars, undisturbed corners of rooms, attics, and garages. Outdoors, they can be found in dark, damp places like caves, under rocks, or in leaf litter.
Diet & Feeding
Mainly other spiders (including venomous ones like Black Widows), and small insects like flies, mosquitoes, and ants. They are generalist predators.
Behavior Patterns
Cellar spiders are known for their ability to vibrate rapidly when disturbed, making them difficult for predators to catch. They build irregular, messy webs in corners of rooms or other sheltered areas. They are mostly nocturnal and are not aggressive.
Risks & Benefits
Generally considered harmless to humans. While they possess venom, it is not considered medically significant to people. They are beneficial in controlling other insect populations within homes, including more harmful spiders. There is a common urban legend that they are extremely venomous but have fangs too small to bite humans, which is untrue.
Identified on: 9/4/2025