phalangioides, though populations tend to be relatively small, widely dispersed, and greatly isolated from one another. The large number of buildings in the world has favoured P. phalangioides are influenced greatly by the presence of human-made buildings since these spiders prefer warmer habitats indoors. This is not to be confused with organisms with similar physical appearances, such as the crane fly - an insect - and harvestmen of the arachnid order Opiliones. All of these spiders are known for their characteristic long legs, which can range from 5 to 6 times the size of their bodies. phalangioides shares ancestry with roughly 1,340 similar cellar-spiders such as the granddaddy long-legs spider, carpenter spider, and vibrating spider. A member of the genus Pholcus in the family Pholcidae, P. Pholcus phalangioides was first described in 1775 by the Swiss entomologist Johann Kaspar Füssli. Pholcus phalangioides is known to be harmless to humans and a potential for the medicinal use of their silk has been reported. This spider species is considered beneficial in parts of the world because it preys on other spiders, including species considered dangerous such as redback spiders. Pholcus phalangioides has a habit of living on the ceilings of rooms, caves, garages or cellars.

The length of the spider's legs are on average 5 or 6 times the length of its body. Its common name of 'daddy long-legs' should not be confused with a different arachnid group with the same common name, the harvestman (Opiliones), or the crane flies of the superfamily Tipuloidea.įemales have a body length of about 8 mm while males tend to be slightly smaller. This is the only spider species described by the Swiss entomologist Johann Kaspar Füssli, who first recorded it in 1775.

It is also known as the skull spider, since its cephalothorax is said to resemble a human skull. Pholcus phalangioides, commonly known as the cosmopolitan cellar spider, long-bodied cellar spider or one of various types called a daddy long-legs spider, is a spider of the family Pholcidae.

Female long bodied cellar spider