Cellar Spider (often called "Daddy Longlegs")
Scientific Name: Pholcus phalangioides
Order & Family: Order Araneae, Family Pholcidae
Size: Body length of 6-9 mm; with legs extended, they can span up to 50 mm.
Natural Habitat
Found in dark, damp, or undisturbed areas such as cellars, basements, caves, and corners of walls and ceilings in homes.
Diet & Feeding
Carnivorous; eats insects, other spiders, and small invertebrates by wrapping them in silk.
Behavior Patterns
They build messy webs and hang upside-down. When disturbed, they vibrate rapidly in their webs to blur their outline, a behavior known as whirling.
Risks & Benefits
Harmless to humans; their fangs are generally too small to penetrate skin. They are beneficial for pest control as they hunt mosquitoes, flies, and even dangerous spiders like Black Widows.
Identified on: 3/29/2026