Daddy long-legs

Fact Box Species: Pholcus phalangioides (RM) (an introduced cosmopolitan species) Family: Pholcidae Body length: female: 8 mm male: 7.5 mm Habitat: In a thin, tangled web attached to the ceilings and upper walls of rooms, sheds and caves (hence this species is also called a cellar spider) but also under bridges and in hollows of dead trees Toxicity: Probably too small to cause illness in humans; the suggestion it has very potent venom is a myth but its long legs give it an advantage over other kinds of spiders

Its web Eyes and palps Female with eggs Male palps Another species? Side view Female epigynum Carapace from side

A noteworthy characteristic of this spider is its habit of shaking the web violently when disturbed. The female will often be found holding her eggs in her palps.

Spider(s) with a very similar appearance: Any other pholcid with an elongate abdomen.