Pholcidae

The Daddy Long-Legs (Cellar Spider)

Pholcus phalangioides

Harmless

Photo: Didier Descouens · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Family

Pholcidae

Size

Body 7–10 mm, legs to 50 mm

Region

Worldwide

Habitat

Cellars, ceilings, garages and other cool, dark corners.

Overview

Impossibly thin legs and a small body. When threatened it vibrates its web into a blur to confuse predators.

Standout fact

The myth that it has the deadliest venom but can't bite is false — its venom is simply very weak.

Parasteatoda tepidariorum

The spider you most often meet indoors. It builds tangled cobwebs in quiet corners and is completely harmless to people.

Latrodectus mactans

Glossy black with the unmistakable red hourglass. Its neurotoxic venom makes it the most medically significant spider in North America.

Loxosceles reclusa

A shy, reclusive hunter recognised by the dark violin shape on its back. Its cytotoxic venom can cause slow-healing wounds.

Phidippus audax

Charismatic, curious and fuzzy, with huge forward-facing eyes. It hunts by pouncing rather than building webs.