Harvestman Cellar Spider
Pholcus opilionoides
This record describes Pholcus opilionoides (species). Recorded family: Pholcidae. Recorded order: Araneae.
Identification and Appearance
Epigynum It will be rare for BugGuide to get submissions of any of the ten endemic (native) Pholcus , so it will mostly only be the three (so far) introduced/non-native species that we will see and need to differentiate, thus here is a cheat sheet pertaining to those three in particular: P. opilionoides can be separated from the others by the dark marks on the lateral border of their carapace. Pholcus manueli has two dark, vertical stripes on the clypeus (the space between the bottom row of eyes and the beginning of the chelicerae), while P. phalangioides & P. opilionoides do not. The dark medial mark on the carapace of P. manueli is more distinctly divided than the medial mark on P. phalangioides . P. phalangioides also gets bigger than the other two species, at least twice as large in some cases. Also, the eyes are much more closely grouped in P. manueli than in P. phalangioides ; it's a subtle difference, but you can tell once you have seen a few. P. manueli vs. P. phalangioides vs. P. opilionoides
Wikipedia reference for Pholcus opilionoides: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pholcus_opilionoides.
Classification
Habitat and Range
Geographic Range
Europe east to Azerbaijan. Sparingly introduced in North America where distribution is largely unknown (ChH)
About Spiders: the wider group
Order-level background for Araneae, the group containing Pholcus opilionoides. Species-specific details appear above.
Group overview
As of 2023, 51,673 spider species in 136 families have been recorded, though an estimated 150,000 species exist. Spiders rank 7th in total species diversity among all organism orders. Only 0.5% of spider species pose any risk to human health.
Ecological role of the group
Spider venom contains complex peptides with diverse pharmacological activities, making them valuable for drug development research. Spiders produce up to 7 types of silk from specialized glands. Spider silk genes have been inserted into mammals and plants for biotech applications.
Economic and practical significance of the group
The global spider community kills an estimated 400-800 million tons of prey annually (2017 study). Spiders provide billions of dollars in natural pest control for agriculture. Spider silk is 5× stronger than steel of the same diameter, driving a biomaterials research industry.
Recorded sources for this group: World Spider Catalog, PNAS, Nature, ScienceDirect. Imported estimates may describe particular regions or reporting periods.
Photos of Harvestman Cellar Spider (4)
Photo credits: (c) Frederik Leck Fischer, all rights reserved, uploaded by Frederik Leck Fischer | (c) cheins1, all rights reserved, uploaded by cheins1 | Contributed by Chad Heins; Additional contributions by Lynette Elliott , Mandy Howe
Frequently Asked Questions About Harvestman Cellar Spider
What is Harvestman Cellar Spider?
Harvestman Cellar Spider (Pholcus opilionoides) is a species in the family Pholcidae, within the order Araneae.
How big is Harvestman Cellar Spider?
Body length (excluding legs) of adults: 3-5.5 mm
How do you identify Harvestman Cellar Spider?
Epigynum It will be rare for BugGuide to get submissions of any of the ten endemic (native) Pholcus , so it will mostly only be the three (so far) introduced/non-native species that we will see and need to differentiate, thus here is a cheat sheet pertaining to those three in particular: P. opilionoides can be separated from the others by the dark marks on the lateral border of their carapace. Pholcus manueli has two dark, vertical stripes on the clypeus (the space between the bottom row of eyes and the beginning of the chelicerae), while P. phalangioides & P. opilionoides do not. The dark medial mark on the carapace of P. manueli is more distinctly divided than the medial mark on P. phalangioides . P. phalangioides also gets bigger than the other two species, at least twice as large in some cases. Also, the eyes are much more closely grouped in P. manueli than in P. phalangioides ; it's a subtle difference, but you can tell once you have seen a few. P. manueli vs. P. phalangioides vs. P. opilionoides
Where is Harvestman Cellar Spider found?
Range: Europe east to Azerbaijan. Sparingly introduced in North America where distribution is largely unknown (ChH)