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Comments & ID Thoughts
This spider has a body about the length of a grain of rice and 1/2 the width of a grain of rice. Legs spread as seen are about 1.25-1.5 inches. It was hanging upside down in a very random/disorganized web with fibers so thin they were difficult to see. It was in the bathroom near the tub.
Any ideas?
- Submitted by:
- Submitted: Nov 19, 2018
- Photographed: Nov 19, 2018
- Spider: Unidentified
- Location: Franklin (surburb of Nashville), Tennessee, United States
- Spotted Indoors: Sink or bathtub
- Found in web?: Yes
- Attributes:
Member of the pholcidae family, pholcus genus, aka daddy longlegs. Hard to say what exact species it is by this picture because there are hundreds.
Bobby, Thank you for your response! I didn’t bother him and next morning he had moved his web. I don’t know what he thinks he is going to catch because there are so few insects of any kind in my place.
You’re welcome! If there’s a spider, there’s usually prey. Spiders can vast for long periods, but if it comes down to it, daddy longlegs will move to another spot. They aren’t stationary spiders and imply several ways to hunt, whereas most spiders use only one technique. Spiders can also eat webbing that may have some nutrients/tiny creatures in it. In case you or a viewer is interested. Pholcidae imply several hunting techniques: They’ll use their webbing to entangle prey, they’ll walk around and share/steal food from other spiders (including their own kin), and they will actively hunt for anything they… Read more »
That’s interesting, thank you for teaching us. I observe my many Pholcus phalangiodes every day. I have them in every possible niche. I can tell which spots in my house are the best hunting grounds by how large the spiders get. My biggest Pholcus (leg span) is over a spot where previous owners of my house tried to hide a big hole in the wall by covering it with a cabinet. Otherwise, they mostly eat fruit flies that come from grocery store produce.
Thank you. Just passing along what I’ve been taught myself by reading books written by the real experts and from observing. Haha, what you said sounds very familiar. I also have these spiders everywhere:)