These spiders prefer to live in dark places: in caves, cracks and crevices in rocks, unused animal burrows, and in the dark and quiet parts of buildings. Only a few species occur in Michigan, but they are common in basements and unused buildings.
![long bodied cellar spiders long bodied cellar spiders](https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/longbodied-cellar-spider-260nw-474336196.jpg)
One species in particular, Pholcus phalangioides, is particularly comfortable living in houses and other buildings, and so has been spread all around the world by people moving around. There are hundreds of species of cellar spiders found all over the world. Their color varies from light tan to grayish-brown.įemale cellar spiders are often much bigger than males. Cellar spiders have fangs that they use to bite their prey with, and have venom glands, but their fangs are very short.
![long bodied cellar spiders long bodied cellar spiders](https://cdn.branchcms.com/rZB520lYb0-1171/images/cellar-spider-2.jpg)
These are used to grab prey, and in mating, and are much bigger in male spiders than in females.ĭifferent species of cellar spiders have six or eight eyes, and the size and arrangement of eyes is different in different groups. On the front they have two small "mini-legs" called palps. Because of this they are sometimes called "daddy longlegs spiders", though they are not related to the other "daddy longlegs," which are Harvestmen. Their legs are many times longer than their bodies. Cellar spiders have very long thin legs compared to other spiders.
![long bodied cellar spiders long bodied cellar spiders](https://i.pinimg.com/736x/e3/9c/fe/e39cfeb6b333b4ed296e07653927ab73.jpg)
They have eight legs, all attached to the cephalothorax. Like all spiders, cellar spiders have two body-segments, a cephalothorax in front and an abdomen behind.