![]() However, frequent variations from this pattern have been documented during observations of the spiders’ movements. Pholcus phalangioides often uses an alternating tetrapod gait (first right leg, then second left leg, then third right leg, etc.), which is commonly found in many spider species. If the spider continues to feel harassed it will retreat into a corner or drop from its web and escape. Doing so might make it difficult for a predator to see exactly where the spider is, may be intended to signal an assumed rival to leave, or may increase the chances of capturing insects that have just brushed their web and are still hovering nearby. For this reason pholcids have sometimes been called "vibrating spiders", although they are not the only species to exhibit this behaviour. When the spider is threatened by a touch to the web or when too large a prey becomes entangled, the spider vibrates rapidly in a gyrating motion in its web and becomes blurred and difficult to focus on. The prey may be eaten immediately or stored for later. The spider quickly envelops its prey with silk and then inflicts the fatal bite. ![]() The web has no adhesive properties but the irregular structure traps insects, making escape difficult. #Cellar spider windows#However, Pholcids are also quite commonly found in warm, dry places, such as household windows and attics. These webs are constructed in dark and damp recesses, in caves, under rocks and loose bark, abandoned mammal burrows in undisturbed areas in buildings and cellars, hence the common name "cellar spiders". They hang inverted in messy, irregular, tangled webs. Pholcids are found in every continent in the world besides Antarctica where it is too cold for them to survive. ![]() The shape of the Pholcus and Smeringopus's body resembles that of a peanut. Pholcids are gray to brown with banding or chevron markings. Spermophora has a small globose abdomen and its eyes are arranged in two groups of three and no median eyes. Eight and six eyes both occur in this family. Pholcus and Smeringopus have cylindrical abdomens and the eyes are arranged in two lateral groups of three and two smaller median contiguous eyes. ![]() If you are dealing with cellar spider problems in your home, contact your local spider exterminators.Pholcids are fragile arachnids, the body being 2–10 mm in length with legs which may be up to 50 mm long. They continuously add to it, creating large amounts of webbing which becomes a nuisance to remove and an eyesore in homes and commercial buildings. Many species of spiders consume their old web before making a new one, but cellar spiders do not. Cellar spiders are considered nuisance pests, due to the large amounts of webbing they produce. Historically, cellar spiders are not known to bite humans and, therefore, do not pose a health threat. Cellar Spider Behaviors, Threats or DangersĪlthough cellar spiders do have venom, they aren’t a cause for concern. Male and female cellar spiders may be found in climate-controlled structures year-round. Cellar spiders build irregular messy webs and are highly sensitive to vibrations and will close in on an unsuspecting insect rapidly if it happens to wander into its web. Indoors, they are often found in damp cellars, basements, crawl spaces, garages, and dark, quiet places. In nature, cellar spiders usually live in the openings of caves, or crevices in cliffs, and other protected places. Cellar spiders are the natural enemy of large house spiders that live in homes, and will also feed on flies, bees, wasps, and even other cellar spiders when food is scarce. ![]() These spiders can be seen in corners and ceilings, usually hanging belly-up. Some species of cellar spiders are very common in homes, especially in garages, basements, and cellars, hence the common name. They are sometimes referred to as daddy longlegs spiders, which are quite different and unrelated. Cellar spiders are inconspicuous, harmless, fragile spiders with extremely long, thin legs. ![]()
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