Talk:Pholcidae

Reverted organizational changes
Why was http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Pholcidae&oldid=234826723 reverted? 207.13.167.2 (talk) 18:14, 28 August 2008 (UTC)

To be specific, those changes removed behavioral traits from habitat information - two completely different things. It also broke the behaviorals down out from one big block of text. 207.13.167.2 (talk) 18:18, 28 August 2008 (UTC)

Venomous?- As an arachnid researcher, I have studied spiders for years. Some how, a rumor got out that the commonly found "Daddy long leg" spider is venomous. However... it is not. The "long legs" doesn't even contain any venom glands either.

Urban legend
I altered the "Misconceptions" entry slightly to better reflect known facts. OzoneO 17:59, 19 May 2006 (UTC)

London UK I got bitten from a Daddy Long Leged spider(Polocus Phalangioides). The poison swelled up around the leg, and one of my glands. I had to be pute on very stong antibiotics. Yes this is a very rare ocasion, but it does happen. I was letting this spider live in my room. I found it a couple days later after I got bitten, and placed it out side.
 * Antibiotics treat infection, rather than poisoning. ANY kind of skin injury that breaks the surface can lead to an infection, and in this case it happened to be a spider bite. Hardly noteworthy.Snorgle (talk) 12:48, 25 September 2009 (UTC)

I fail to see what the length of fangs has to do with the potentiality of the poison... Great science. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 80.221.14.187 (talk) 21:24, 6 April 2008 (UTC)

Are you sure the swelling was caused by a bite by the spider? I've lived in a flat with literally myriads of them for much of my life, and nobody in my family has ever been bitten by one.--91.148.159.4 (talk) 23:46, 28 May 2009 (UTC)

How about the clever claim that the daddy long legs cannot bite a human because it's legs are too long! — Preceding unsigned comment added by 174.5.142.39 (talk) 23:24, 29 April 2013 (UTC)

Spider-killers?
Can someone give better information about this comment:

"Certain species of these seemingly benign spiders invade webs of other spiders and eat the host, the eggs or the prey. In some cases the spider vibrates the web of other spiders, mimicking the prey to lure the host of the web closer. They are also known to attack and eat other spiders and insects that are much larger then themselves."

I can't give more information but I can cite: The Queensland Museum site says they kill and eat redback spiders. Rocksong 00:55, 27 March 2006 (UTC)

Notice these insects are always found in forests, they are purposely put there to eat mosquitos, they are not poisonous and arent found in homeland except for countryside.


 * They're not insects and they are certainly present around my inner suburban home! Perhaps you are thinking of the unrelated insect with the same name - see the clarification in the article introduction. Rocksong 04:27, 1 May 2006 (UTC)

opilionids?
I was reading this other article which described some daddylegs as not being spiders, but instead, they are a seperate order of arachnid... can someone who knows maybe clearify? 

According to Bill Nye, Daddy Longlegs have no fangs & venom. Therefore, they aren't spiders. 67.188.172.165 19:35, 13 July 2006 (UTC)


 * Unfortunately, "Daddy Long-Legs" refers to three different creatures. The Opiliones (or harvestmen) is also called the "Daddy Long-Legs", but it is NOT the same as the Daddy long-legs spider. See the Daddy longlegs page which explains the differences. Bill Nye would have been talking about the Opiliones. The Daddy long-legs spider is definitely a spider. Rocksong 00:54, 14 July 2006 (UTC)

Daddy long-legs
Why are they called Daddy long-legs? Where does the "daddy" come from?

Maybe they're the daddy of all legs? (Yeah, bad joke)-- User: Eddy King 17:29, 2 November 2006 (UTC) 17:25, 2 November 2006 (UTC)

As children we called them "dandy long-legs" but I don't know how widespread this was. From "Dent de ..." perhaps, cf dandylion? --Hugh7 (talk) —Preceding undated comment added 08:32, 21 January 2010 (UTC).

house spider?
"The Daddy long-legs spider, also called the Granddaddy long-legs spider, cellar spider, vibrating spider, or house spider"    - how can it be confused for a house spider (Tegenaria domestica )  -these are totally different


 * If you look at the House spider page, you will see that several unrelated spiders have earnt the name "House spider". I assume the name "house spider" means different things in different parts of the world. Rocksong 05:20, 17 July 2006 (UTC)

thanks for clarification

what the
Uh, it appears that the writer of this article doesn't actually know what a Granddaddy Long-Legs is. Come on, look at the picture.

If you actually read the article, then you would have seen that some different parts of the world actually call a different arthropod also by granddaddy long legs and lucky for you, you wont have to read because i will quote it:"Confusion often arises because the name '"daddy long-legs"' is also applied to two distantly related arthropod groups: the harvestmen (which are arachnids but not spiders), and crane flies (which are insects)." —Preceding unsigned comment added by 68.5.158.200 (talk) 07:17, 10 April 2010 (UTC)

Different than picture?
We have what we call Daddy Long Legs here in minnesota, but their bodies are just perfect circles, not these elongated things


 * Perhaps it is the Opiliones (Harvestman)? If you check the Daddy longlegs page, you will see that Daddy Longlegs has a variety of usages. Rocksong 06:03, 1 September 2006 (UTC)


 * Nah, I looked into thoes, I looked around quite a bit and can't find the spider I'm looking for. we have these ones in minnesota that just have small bodies like a small black pea and long long legs... I should get a picture of them some time, I have them all around my basement


 * It's a harvestman, take a look on google and you'll find a picture of it.

These are also located in the Texas/Mississippi Area. Though the body is usually more of a greyish-brown color I believe. I once saw one with apprx. a 3ft leg span standing 1ft tall. But I have no photo evidence to back this up.


 * It is the Opiliones.--91.148.159.4 (talk) 23:49, 28 May 2009 (UTC)

Deadly Venom
I heard the same thing about crane flies (which is the insect that we Brits call daddylong legs). Do crane flies have venom, and if so, could this be the source of the myth associated with the spider?--88.109.17.47 22:21, 7 September 2006 (UTC)
 * Check the Cranefly article for yourself - it's a certified load of crap. 88.110.101.0 11:46, 23 September 2006 (UTC)

Could somone change the picture as at 29/04/07 it appears to show a winged insect. /

Uthina Genus?
Hello. The Uthina page has a link pointing here and claims that "uthina" is the name of a spider genus. Do you think it would be appropriate to create a redirect from Uthina_(spider) to this page, or would there be a better target? A few brief web searches (such as here) seem to agree that this is correct, but I just wanted to check with people actively involved in this article first. --Culix 19:21, 10 December 2006 (UTC) /

Playmate Spider
I laugh at the thought of these things being "dangerous". My family has played with them for many a generation. these are probably the most gentle and non-aggressive critters here in Virginia --User:Alucard44 13:25, 12 December 2006 (EST)

The GeoSafari Talking Microscope - Daddy Longlegs slide
Just a note

My son just received the GeoSafari Talking Microscope for Christmas. This is a great toy, but there seems to be a discrepancy. The toy has prepared slides that are 'clicked' into the microscope. When the Daddy Longlegs slide is loaded in, one of the Facts that is stated is that (paraphrasing) "Daddy Longlegs are not spiders". This is a child's toy, so there is just a statement made and no explanation. Based on what I have read at Wiki, this statement is in conflict.

Fitzwiki 13:56, 26 December 2006 (UTC)


 * Sounds like the slide was of the Harvestman. Unfortunately, three different arthropods are called "Daddy Long-Legs". See the Daddy Long-Legs article. The Daddy Long-legs spider - the subject of this article - IS a true spider. Rocksong 04:37, 3 January 2007 (UTC)

These are not what we call Daddy Long Legs here in Missouri. True spider or not, I cannot say. It has a spherical body, as described by the person in Minnesota. It does NOT make webs. Body is round, about 6-8 mm. Legs are 75-100 mm. They are non-aggressive, and if there is any impact from their bite (if they do bite), I haven't seen it for the last 60 years. My 4 year old granddaughter plays with them if I don't watch her. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 97.86.30.48 (talk) 02:21, 8 September 2009 (UTC) An that is a Harvestman, another anthropod knick-named daddy long legs/ granddaddy long legs. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 68.5.158.200 (talk) 07:26, 10 April 2010 (UTC)

Contradiction?
I don't really get this..at the top it says "The Daddy long-leg...is not a true spider", but at the bottom it says "The Daddy long-legs spider is a true spider". If I just somehow didn't understand what it truly meant and it really does make sense, I think this article should be explained differently.


 * The Daddy-Long legs spider is a true spider. There was a misinformed edit done on 1-Jan-07, which I've fixed now. Rocksong 00:52, 3 January 2007 (UTC)

Rename article to Pholcid? (make that Pholcidae)
Judging by the number of confused edits and comments this article gets, perhaps it is time to rename this article from "Daddy long-legs spider" to "Pholcid" or "Pholcids". Anyone else like (or dislike) this idea? Rocksong 04:40, 3 January 2007 (UTC)


 * It seems that Pholcidae, not Pholcid, would be correct. "Pholcidae" gets more hits on Google than "Daddy long-legs spider", though it may not be fair to compare word hits with exact phrase hits. And I think a rename would be in line with Naming conventions (fauna), which says "Don't use common names when it isn't clear what the name refers to". But still, I'd like feedback before initiating a formal request. Rocksong 05:16, 5 January 2007 (UTC)


 * Whoah, the confusion gets worse. There's also the page Pholcus phalangioides which begins, "The Daddy-Long-Legs Spider (Pholcus phalangioides) is a spider of the family Pholcidae." Rocksong 05:24, 5 January 2007 (UTC)


 * i moved the page, and reworded the introduction to make it a little bit more exact. --Sarefo 13:25, 5 January 2007 (UTC)

Venom?
As an arachnid researcher, I have studied many venomous spiders in my time. Rumor has it that the commonly found "Daddy Long Legs" spider is one of the most venomous spiders in the world. However... I've studied this particular spider a lot, and i will tell you this spider is not venomous. It doesn't even have venom glands. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 75.33.137.125 (talk) 22:33, 16 January 2010 (UTC)

I love you (for being a smart person[for many people i know believe that it is venomous and its annoying because they say im wrong because they are hard headed]) —Preceding unsigned comment added by 68.5.158.200 (talk) 07:22, 10 April 2010 (UTC)

I was always told Daddy Long Legs were venomous but that they didn't attack humans. Is there any truth to this?
Can anyone tell me whether or not these spiders are venomous. My 10 year old son and I are debating because he plays with them in our back yard. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 70.190.188.42 (talk) 18:36, 31 May 2010 (UTC)

Daddy long legs in the UK most definitely signifies the adult crane fly. To my mind the fact that this species is termed the 'daddy long legs spider' disntiguishes it from the 'daddy long legs' per se, perhaps implying that there is no 'confusion' as the article implies, but that the designation of the spider (which obviously looks similar) actually refers back to the crane fly - the original 'daddy long legs'? Just a thought. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 217.206.181.40 (talk) 15:02, 30 December 2010 (UTC)

According to the article and http://spiders.ucr.edu/daddylonglegs.html, the spiders are not harmful to humans. Whether the content is still there, the article at one time mentioned that an observer or two (over the course of all time!) had reported being able to tell that they had been bitten by these - to no effect more than a mild tingling. In my opinion, both from observation and from reading the article, these spiders should be treated as familiars on a par with dogs: they're harmless to humans, and actually a benefit as they will attack certain other spiders which are harmful to humans. If your house was full of spiders, these are the ones you'd want them to be. My original interest in these arose when I saw that one of them had killed a common spider I had chased into a longlegs web I thought empty. They seemed too insubstantial to be predators of that kind. (I also disagree that these spiders have no venom, as I watched a longlegs spider "freeze" a moth with a bite in less than one second. Only a chemical could have done that to the moth in so short a time. But I will not argue here with Entomologists ...) In any case, parents can be sure children won't be injured by 'playing' with these spiders. Rest easy.

These are fascinating creatures. Whereas most spiders will flee at the first sign of a disturbance, these behave like "grumpy old men" who don't want to have to get up off the couch. They are extraordinarily tolerant of disturbances to their webs, another behavior that made me curious about them. I had several of these living on my ceiling just an inch from a wall. I painted the wall "around" them - the paintbrush and paint adjacent to their web - and none of them were bothered at all. I think they "know" they are incredibly survivable, given how little concern they have for being disturbed.

As to their ubiquity, find out how many languages have a word for "cobweb". These are the creatures that create that stuff worldwide.

Decahedonist (talk) 07:42, 26 November 2011 (UTC)


 * I don't want people to get the impression that they won't bite humans, however harmless the bite is. Though you may disturb their webs, they are not so tolerant of being handled and not incapable of producing a good pinch. Can be startling if you don't know to expect it. --Saerain (talk) 16:13, 30 September 2012 (UTC)

Flimsy legs
Are these spiders known for having particularly flimsy legs? Because my house is FULL of these, and I have seen my fair share of seven- and even six-legged ones. 70.231.247.165 (talk) 18:39, 7 July 2011 (UTC)


 * I'm not sure how their legs' durability compares, but arachnids in general comfortably autotomize, and these spiders especially. Both pholcidae and the opilionids they're often mistaken for very readily autotomize. --Saerain (talk) 16:39, 30 September 2012 (UTC)

Observing the popularity of this page for vandal edits
I'm not that familiar with the amount of vandalism inflicted upon all the various Wikipedia articles, but in observing the edit history for this page I see that various members of the public have liked to deface it, routinely inserting nonsense or apparently trying to insert favoritely held opinions (such as that the spider is in fact dangerous to humans.) This is a "rhetorical observation" - but I have to wonder of what use it is to those who deface the content to do so.

It seems we need a new "branch" page for any article - that would consist of a blog of all the scabrous edits the peanut-gallery would have made. That is, the fact that people enjoy defacing this page so much is itself of some interest. If the children insist upon being children we should make a sandbox for them to play in, and for them to believe they contributed, they'll have to be able to pull up their comments in that sandbox over the web. Title the box "User Comments" rather than the more accurate "Stupid Juvenile Noncontributing Nonsense" and the idea could work.

To be stern but obvious, the vandal-edits should get their authors kicked in the ass (literally.) Preferably by family members.

What is Wikipedia's policy concerning repeat vandal-offenders? I'm so glad people have kept the article clean, but that's extra work nobody should have to do - in a polite and thoughtful society. (Never mind reminding me that we don't live in such a world.)

Decahedonist (talk) 07:22, 26 November 2011 (UTC)

The urban legend
As an aside, I'd be interested to hear when users first heard the urban legend stating that "daddy longlegs" (the spider, the harvestman and/or the crane fly) are the most venomous species of spider/arachnid or insect - the reason being that I'm half certain I started it off, having made it up to frighten friends at school when I was a child. I don't remember reading or hearing it anywhere prior to that and I'd rather like to be able to call myself the originator of such a widespread myth, but if anyone heard it before the late 1970s/early 1980s I'll have to accept I can't do so. :-) 188.30.188.84 (talk) 17:46, 10 November 2012 (UTC)

In the UK
I never saw these in the UK before around 1985, when I first saw them in one relative's house. Now you see them everywhere - possibly the most common spider in homes. Are they a recent arrival in the UK which has spread fast? 81.187.1.83 (talk) 05:44, 9 December 2016 (UTC)
 * No. The UK has long-standing populations of pholcids (Pholcus phalangioides, Pholcus opilionoides, Holocnemus pluchei, Psilochorus simoni, etc.), particularly in warmer southern areas of England and Wales. They are are also common in the European mainland. They are synanthropic, which means more houses means more ideal habitats for the spiders. -- O BSIDIAN  †  S OUL  07:32, 9 December 2016 (UTC)
 * But Pholcus phalangioides has spread within the UK. 10-15 years ago I only saw them when I went to see friends living in the south-west of England. Now they are not uncommon here in the English Midlands, including behind my fridge. Peter coxhead (talk) 22:28, 9 December 2016 (UTC)
 * Climate change. The Midlands are now as warm as Cornwall used to be.  Correctrix (talk) 13:21, 19 April 2017 (UTC)
 * We had tons of daddy-longlegs in Hampshire in the 60s when scientists were predicting an ice-age. The name "Cellar spider" suggests that it might prefer cold and dark and damp. FangoFuficius (talk) 08:17, 25 August 2022 (UTC)

Behavioral Ecology Post
I liked that this article had many subsections dividing broad topics because it made the information easier to digest. For instance, instead of having a large paragraph on behaviors, the article divided this section into trapping, threat response, diet, and gait, which allowed me to better search for specific information. One part I found particularly interesting was the threat response the spider exhibits when disturbed. Three general categories that are missing from this article are mating, reproduction and life cycle, and social behavior. Mating information would provide important details on male-male and male-female interactions that may dictate mating behavior and other forms of behaviors like sexual cannibalism. A section on reproduction and life cycle would give a better overview of lifespan and fertilization, which can vary among species and thus is an important distinguishing pattern. Finally, social behavior can give insight into how this spider interacts and cooperates in groups. The article is part of the WikiProject Spiders and has been rated as B-class on the project’s quality scale and as high-importance on the importance scale. Like with the first two spiders, I would consider this article to be mid-level importance since is covers a specific spider species rather than a general area of knowledge. Delanieludmir (talk) 04:21, 7 October 2020 (UTC)

"Daddy long legs"
Just feel the need to add that cellar spiders typically aren't referred to as daddy long legs. Harvestmen are. Whoever originally started this article, based on the previous entries here, is clearly under a misconception in that regard. Also, whoever said that crane flies, those giant imitation mosquitoes, are or have ever been called or even confused with daddy long legs, is lying to you. [User:anonymous because I never edit wikipedia despite having made an account and don't want to sign in] 6:00AM December 10th, 2020 (UTC) — Preceding unsigned comment added by 74.190.252.223 (talk)
 * this is probably a regional thing. "Daddy long legs" is a folk name. Where I lived it meant cellar spider. FangoFuficius (talk) 12:20, 1 September 2022 (UTC)