Pholcus

Picture ID 54832

Picture of Pholcus - Dorsal

Comments & ID Thoughts

Found this at 11:30pm in my bedroom underneath my desk.

This spider is brownish tan, like the variants of colors one can find in wheat. It’s body (not including legs is about half as long as my pinky’s first digit. As you can see it’s leges are quadruple the length of its body and it is sitting in the center of its web.

It seems like the thorax is pulsating. Does that mean this spiders pregnant? I don’t want to hurt it but think I should def move it outside or put in a quarantined terrarium and feed it regularly.

I think it’s a daddy long legs? But not sure. Halp?!

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CalumEwing

Yes, it is the spider often called ‘Daddy Long Legs’ Spiders, or Cellar Spiders, in the family Pholcidae. This looks like it might be the Long-bodied Cellar Spider, Pholcus phalangioides.

BugmanDan

Hi, if it is out of the way, you could just leave it undisturbed. I had a few in my place. they are perhaps the most common house spider globally.

TangledWeb

Don’t worry, it isn’t pregnant. Female spiders are born with eggs that get bigger as the spider reaches maturity. Males deposit sperm in a hole near the females’ heads. That’s the quick way to describe it. The sperm goes into storage and can stay there for years. When the female deposits her mature eggs she gives them some stored sperm on the way out. Since the females can get really huge with lots of developing eggs, it is very good that the eggs aren’t fertilized and start growing more internally. Having that development take place outside of the body allows… Read more »

Additional Pictures

Picture of Pholcus spp. Enlarge Picture
Picture of Pholcus spp. Enlarge Picture
Picture of Pholcus spp. - Dorsal Enlarge Picture
Picture of Pholcus spp. Enlarge Picture