Pholcus phalangioides,daddy long-legs spider, granddaddy long-legs spider, carpenter spider, daddy long-legs, head detail
Pholcids are fragile arachnids, the body being 2–10 mm in length with legs which may be up to 50 mm long. Pholcus and Smeringopus have cylindrical abdomens and the eyes are arranged in two lateral groups of three and two smaller median contiguous eyes. Eight and six eyes both occur in this family. Spermophora has a small globose abdomen and its eyes are arranged in two groups of three and no median eyes. Pholcids are grey to brown with banding or chevron markings. The shape of the Pholcus and Smeringopus's body resembles that of a peanut. When the arachnid 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. For this reason pholcids have sometimes been called "vibrating spiders", although they are not the only species to exhibit this behavior. 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.[1] If the spider continues to be harassed it will retreat into a corner or drop from its web and escape.
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Photo credit: © Scenics & Science / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: arachnid, carpenter, cellar, daddy, detail, granddaddy, head, long-legs, macro, phalangioides, pholcus, spider, spindly, web
