Pholcus

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Genus of spiders

title: "Pholcus" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["pholcus", "pholcidae-genera", "cosmopolitan-spiders"] description: "Genus of spiders" topic_path: "general/pholcus" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pholcus" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary Genus of spiders ::

| name = | image = Pholcus.phalangioides.6905.jpg | image_caption = Pholcus phalangioides | image2 = Pholcus ponticus 395346751.jpg | image2_caption = male P. ponticus | taxon = Pholcus | authority = Walckenaer, 1805 | subdivision_ranks = Species | subdivision = P. nagasakiensis

P. okinawaensis

P. phalangioides

P. opilionides

many more | diversity_link = List of Pholcidae species#Pholcus | diversity = 432 species | range_map =

Pholcus is a large genus of spiders of long-bodied cellar spider and allies in the family Pholcidae.

It includes the cellar spider P. phalangioides, often called the "daddy longlegs". This may cause confusion because the name "daddy longlegs" is also applied to two other unrelated arthropods: the harvestman and the crane fly.

Description

Pholcus, like Pholcidae in general, have extremely long and thin legs. The genus can be distinguished from other pholcid genera by its large size (body length 4 mm), eight eyes, evenly domed prosoma (lacking a median furrow or pit) and cylindrical opisthosoma (longer than it is high).

Habitat

In the wild, Pholcus live in environments such as caves, under rocks, forest shrubs and deep limestone cracks. Synanthropic species such as P. phalangioides live in and around buildings and other disturbed habitats.

Species

Main article: List of Pholcidae genera and species#Pholcus

, this genus includes 432 species.

These species have pages on Wikipedia:

Identification resources

  • Pholcus of Europe: https://araneae.nmbe.ch/specieskey/263/Pholcus
  • Pholcus of North America: https://bugguide.net/node/view/9609

References

References

  1. "Gen. ''Pholcus'' Walckenaer, 1805". World Spider Catalog.
  2. "Species Pholcus phalangioides - Longbodied Cellar Spider".
  3. "araneae - Key to families".
  4. "araneae - Pholcidae".
  5. "Genus Pholcus".

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pholcuspholcidae-generacosmopolitan-spiders