![]() As indicated by their common name, "daddy long-legs", these spiders boast eight very long and thin legs which are covered in thin, grey bristles. The average female ranges from 7 to 8 mm in length. ![]() Males tend to be around 6 to 10 mm in length with the average male being around 6 mm. ![]() The body length of this species varies between males and females. Pholcus phalangioides are sexually dimorphic, where females are slightly larger than the males of the species. Description The eye arrangement of spiders in the genus Pholcus On the other hand, this genetic drift results in significant interpopulation differentiation. phalangioides individuals of the same population that live in the same geographical region will have a very low degree of genetic variation (intrapopulation differentiation). Although some gene flow does exist between populations, its importance has been insignificant when compared to that of geographical isolation-driven genetic drift. This small size combined with low mobility of populations results in an increased importance placed on the role of genetic drift, more specifically the founder effect, on population structure. 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. Harvestmen do not have silk glands, so they cannot spin webs they also lack the venom glands that true spiders possess.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. Among the obvious structural differences are harvestmen’s having one apparently unified (usually egg-shaped) body, while true spiders have clearly separate head and abdomen regions. Similar species: Though they also have long, thin legs and are also often called daddy longlegs, harvestmen (in order Opiliones) are quite different and unrelated. To distinguish it from other cellar spiders may require close examination of palps, “face” structure, carapace markings, and eye groupings. Perhaps the most common species in our area is the longbodied cellar spider, Pholcus phalangioides. Many common spiders in this family have 8 eyes arranged into three groups: 2 in the center of the face, and a cluster of 3 on each side of the central pair. Most have oval or rounded abdomens, sometimes described as “peanut shaped.” Females build nonadhesive, unorganized, messy-looking cobwebs, usually in corners or crevices. Some species have darkened joints on their legs, giving them a “knobby-kneed” look. This movement turns them into a blur, rendering them practically invisible to potential predators. Other characteristics add to their camouflage: Their gray, tan, or whitish color, small body size, and remarkable habit of “vibrating” or bouncing rapidly in their webs when alarmed. The tarsi (“feet”) are flexible, adding to the wispy impression they give. Cellar spiders are inconspicuous, harmless, fragile spiders with extremely long, thin legs.
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