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.
Pholcus phalangioides, commonly known as daddy long-legs spider or long-bodied cellar spider, is a spider of the family Pholcidae.
