This is Part 3 of a 3 part series. You may read this as a stand-alone article; however, I believe that you will enjoy it more if you read Part 1: What Is A Daddy Long Legs?and Part 2: Opiliones - Harvestmen Of SOULS?, first.

It is a commonly belief that the daddy long legs is the most venomous spider in the world, but its fangs are too small or too weak to break human skin. Is this true? Before we can tackle this question, we first need to come to a consensus: when you think of a daddy long legs, what do you imagine?

In today’s article, we will tackle the daddy long legs in the right image: the cellar spider. I have been wanting to write this article for some time, but it took a while to find a specimen to photograph. It’s not that they are rare or hard to find. To the contrary, I see them quite often and was surprised when I couldn’t find one in my garage. It’s just that I’ve been busy, and I haven’t had a chance to go where they most likely would be found. They prefer to live indoors and are frequently found up high in undisturbed corners. Interestingly, both of the specimen that I photographed for this post were found outside.

What Do They Look Like?

All cellar spiders are found within the Pholcidae family, and there are approximately 20 different known species in North America with the long-bodied cellar spider (Pholcus phalangioides)
being the most common. Take one look at these fragile dangly-legged creatures, and you will understand why some people consider them to be the daddy long legs.

Marbled Cellar Spider

I believe this specimen is a marbled cellar spider (Holocnemus pluchei). I found it on a brick wall of the school building during one of my lunchtime nature walks.

Unidentified Cellar Spider

I haven’t been able to identify this one, yet. I was at the gas station pumping gas, and I noticed it dangling almost right in front of my face!

But, Are They Venomous?

Well, this is a bit of a loaded question. While there are a handful of spiders that lack venom glands altogether, almost all spider species are venomous; however, most are not dangerous to humans. So, technically cellar spiders are venomous; but do they possess the deadliest venom in the world?

Does This Answer Your Question?

It is a common misconception that the daddy long legs has the most powerful venom in the world but lacks the equipment necessary to deliver it through human skin. In fact, this myth is so widespread that the Mythbusters themselves took a whack at debunking it; and debunk it, they did. As scientists often do, Adam and Jamie began their project with a little bit of research; however, since bites from cellar spiders are so rarely reported, it seems that no one had ever bothered to really study the effects their venom has on humans! Initially, this certainly leant some credence to at least part of the myth! They paid a visit to arachnologist, Chuck Kristensen (who happens to be a contributor to bugguide) who milked one of these dangly-legged creatures and found that the potency of its venom pales in comparison to the venom of the black widow. In my own online research, I ran across reference after reference to “recent research by Alan Van Dyke” that shows cellar spider venom to be weak even against insects. Unfortunately, it appears as if all of the articles are just referencing each other without ever consulting the original research. Don’t believe me? Do an exact google search for the phrase "Additionally, recent research by Alan Van Dyke has shown that pholcid venom is relatively weak in its effects on insects" and you will find pages of results! So, while the hypothesis itself seems valid, it should be taken with a grain of salt since I couldn’t even find the original research amid the echo chamber created by unscrupulous writers and lazy bloggers who are satisfied with referencing references of references on the topic. Apparently, Chuck Kristensen’s study was enough to convince Mythbuster Adam that a bite from a cellar spider would be fairly benign, because he elected to shove his entire arm into a small tube with a few dozen of them! You know… FOR SCIENCE! After much provocation, he was bitten one time, but the venom caused nothing more than a slight, short-lived burning sensation. Both parts of the myth were busted. If they try really hard, cellar spiders are capable of penetrating human skin, but an envenomation would be completely harmless unless you have some type of allergic reaction.

How Did This Myth Get Started?

To the uninitiated, cellar spiders come across as truly creepy critters. Those eight long, spindly legs trigger a primal fear hidden deep within our DNA. They also exhibit some pretty strange (and therefore alarming) behavior when they feel threatened. When disturbed, cellar spiders will violently shake their web faster and faster until they appear as a blur. I even found a video on YouTube that shows this behavior. I understand why this would be frightening to someone who wasn’t familiar with the behavior. Additionally, cellar spiders have been witnessed killing and feeding on much more venomous spiders like the black widow. After seeing something like that, why wouldn’t you assume that it’s venom was powerful?

So, In Conclusion

Cellar spiders are almost completely harmless. They do have the ability to bite and inject venom under the right circumstances, but their venom is harmless to humans as well. While they may seem creepy, they should be welcomed members of your house (or at least your garage), because they are known to kill other more dangerous spiders. So, if you see one hanging around minding its own business in a corner somewhere, just leave it be.

* All photos taken using Canon Rebel T3; Lens Model: EF-S18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS II (with a cheap screw on macro adapter); post processing performed using Darktable unless otherwise labeled.

Thanks for reading today’s article! If you enjoyed it, maybe you would like to check out some of my other recent content:

If you've ever wondered where flies sleep at night, check out Dosing Diptera

Ever seen a wasp mantidfly? Check it out here

I am almost finished with a 3 part series about the deadly daddy long legs (Part 1, Part 2

Or, you can get my take on how the public school system in America has destroyed the value of a high school diploma