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What the sources say

Long-Bodied Cellar SpiderPholcus phalangioides

Every figure, record and mechanism on the Long-Bodied Cellar Spider profile was written from a source, and this is the working table behind it: 42 claims checked word for word against these sources. The left column is what the page says. The right column is the source's own words, copied, not paraphrased; a ... marks a cut and[brackets] an insertion. Open any source and check it yourself.

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Source
01

Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan

Pholcus phalangioides. Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan.

The page saysThe ceiling spider that raids other spiders' webs and spins itself into a blur when threatened.
The source saysFemales have been seen invading another spider's web, eating that spider ... the spider swings its body around rapidly with its legs attached firmly to its web. It swings fast enough that the spider becomes very hard to see.Note: tagline; "blur" paraphrases "very hard to see"
The page saysNot Evaluated
The source saysIUCN Red List No special statusNote: Prefetch found no Red List assessment DOI and GBIF holds no category for this name; ADW's IUCN line is 'No special status'. No IUCN reference cited.
The page saysWorldwide, in dark, undisturbed places such as basements, caves and the corners of homes
The source saysis found throughout the world ... can be found in undisturbed, low light locations. Some places one might encounter this spider are in basements, under stones, under ledges, and in caves. People most often associate these spiders with living on ceilings and in corners in homes.Note: stats.habitat
The page saysApparently prefers other spiders and small insects
The source saysseems to prefer other spiders and small insects as preyNote: stats.diet
The page saysSpins its body into a blur when its web is disturbed, and walks into other spiders' webs to eat them
The source saysFemales have been seen invading another spider's web, eating that spider ... When the web of P. phalangioides is disturbed, the spider swings its body around rapidly with its legs attached firmly to its web. It swings fast enough that the spider becomes very hard to see.Note: stats.superpower
The page saysFemales have been seen invading a neighbour's web, eating the owner, and then using that web to catch new prey.
The source saysFemales have been seen invading another spider's web, eating that spider, and using the foreign web to catch new prey for themselves.
The page saysthe body is pale yellow-brown with a large gray patch in the center of the cephalothorax
The source saysis pale yellow-brown except for a large gray patch in the center of the cephalothorax.
The page saysThe body and legs are almost translucent, and under a microscope you can see blood cells moving in the legs and body of a living spider.
The source saysThe body and legs are almost translucent. ... using a microscope it is possible to see the moving blood cells in the legs and body of a living animal.
The page saysWhen its web is disturbed, it swings fast enough to become very hard to see.
The source saysWhen the web of P. phalangioides is disturbed, the spider swings its body around rapidly with its legs attached firmly to its web. It swings fast enough that the spider becomes very hard to see.
The page saysbirds are listed as known predators.
The source saysKnown Predators Birds
The page saysThis spider lives throughout the world, and it is common across the United States.
The source saysis found throughout the world. It is a common cellar spider throughout the United States.
The page saysIt can be found in undisturbed, low light spots such as basements, caves, and under stones and ledges.
The source sayscan be found in undisturbed, low light locations. Some places one might encounter this spider are in basements, under stones, under ledges, and in caves.
The page saysMany people know it from the ceilings and corners of homes, where it builds large, loose, flat webs.
The source saysPeople most often associate these spiders with living on ceilings and in corners in homes. They make their webs large, loose, and flat
The page saysDaddy long-legs is a common name shared by the cellar spider and by harvestmen, which Animal Diversity Web says are not true spiders.
The source saysBecause one of the common names for Pholcus phalangioides is daddylongleg spider, it is often confused with the Harvestmen daddylong legs, which are a separate species that is not even a true spider.
The page saysPeople often mix the two up.
The source saysit is often confused with the Harvestmen daddylong legs
The page saysFound Almost Everywhere
The source saysis found throughout the worldNote: heading
The page saysNow You See It, Now You Don't
The source saysIt swings fast enough that the spider becomes very hard to see.Note: heading; was 'See Her', but whirling is not female-only
The page sayswhen its web is disturbed, swings its body around fast enough to become very hard to see
The source saysFemales have been seen invading another spider's web, eating that spider ... When the web of P. phalangioides is disturbed, the spider swings its body around rapidly with its legs attached firmly to its web. It swings fast enough that the spider becomes very hard to see.Note: vibe.reason, animal half

Source
02

Penn State Extension

Longbodied Cellar Spider. Penn State Extension.

The page saysFemales are 7 to 8 millimetres long and males are 6 millimetres.
The source saysThe females are from 7 to 8 millimeters, and the males 6 millimeters in length.
The page saysThe forelegs of an adult female are about 50 millimetres in length.
The source saysThe forelegs of the adult female are about 50 millimeters in length.
The page saysThe abdomen is about three times as long as it is wide
The source saysThe abdomen is about three times as long as it is wide and cylindrical in shape.
The page saysit takes about a year for the spiders to mature, and they can live for two or more years as adults.
The source saysIt takes approximately one year for the spiders to mature and they can live for two or more years as adults.
The page saysA female carries her eggs, wrapped in silk in clusters of 25 to 60, in her jaws as she hangs upside down in her web.
The source saysThe eggs, which are about 1 millimeter in diameter, are deposited in clusters of twenty-five to sixty and wrapped in a thin layer of silk. The sac is held by the female in her chelicerae as she hangs inverted in her web.Note: jaws = chelicerae, as ADW glosses: 'her chelicera (jaws)'; 25 to 60 = 'twenty-five to sixty'
The page saysPenn State Extension calls it the most common of its family in the United States, adds that it is not known to bite people, and says it is not medically important.
The source saysThe longbodied cellar spider is the most common of the Pholcidae in the United States. ... These spiders are not known to bite people and are not a medically important species.
The page saysTiny Body, Giant Legs
The source saysThe females are from 7 to 8 millimeters ... The forelegs of the adult female are about 50 millimeters in length.Note: heading; figures claimed above

Source
03

Jackson & Brassington 1987

Jackson & Brassington (1987). The biology of Pholcus phalangioides (Araneae, Pholcidae): predatory versatility, araneophagy and aggressive mimicry. Journal of Zoology.

The page saysThe long-bodied cellar spider, Pholcus phalangioides, builds a web to catch prey, but it also invades the webs of other spiders.
The source saysIn addition to building prey‐catching space webs, P. phalangioides invades webs of other spiders and feeds on the occupants.
The page saysA study of its hunting found it acts as an aggressive mimic, making special vibrations that the web's owner responds to as it normally would to its own prey.
The source saysIt acts as an aggressive mimic by performing specialized vibratory behaviours to which the prey‐spider responds as it normally would to its own prey.Note: Reviewer: the writer's gloss ('fakes the signals of something else') cut; the sentence now says only what the abstract says.
The page saysOn its own web, it is most efficient at catching spiders and, especially, insects.
The source saysIt is most efficient as a predator of spiders and, especially, insects on its own web
The page saysWhen prey trips a line at the edge of the web without entering it, it leans out and throws silk over the victim, keeping as few as two legs on the web.
The source saysPrey that trips over lines at the edge of a web of P. phalangioides , but fails to enter the web, is successfully attacked: P. phalangioides leans out of its web to throw silk over the prey, keeping as few as two legs on the silk.
The page saysIt attacks prey by wrapping it in silk.
The source saysPrey (spiders and insects) is attacked by wrapping.
The page saysA Spider That Hunts Spiders
The source saysP. phalangioides invades webs of other spiders and feeds on the occupantsNote: heading

Source
04

Jackson 1990

Jackson (1990). Predator-prey interactions between jumping spiders (Araneae, Salticidae) and Phokus phalangioides (Araneae, Pholcidae). Journal of Zoology.

The page saysThe spider swings its body around in a circle while keeping its long legs on the silk, and a lab experiment gave further evidence that this is an effective defence against jumping spiders.
The source saysPholcus phalangioides is a web‐building spider with a special defensive behaviour—called whirling—in which it swings its body around in a circle while keeping its long legs on the silk. ... An experiment in which pholcids were artificially induced to whirl whenever the predator was near provided additional evidence that whirling is an effective defence of pholcids against predation by salticids.Note: salticids = jumping spiders (Salticidae); 'further evidence' = 'additional evidence'
The page saysPortia, a genus of jumping spiders, preys on it in nature
The source saysPortia is a genus of specialized web‐invading salticids that use aggressive mimicry. ... Pholcus phalangioides is preyed on by PortiaNote: salticids = jumping spiders
The page saysThe spinning is called whirling.
The source saysa special defensive behaviour—called whirling—in which it swings its body around in a circle

Source
05

Heuts et al. 2001

Heuts et al. (2001). Long-duration whirling of Pholcus phalangioides (Araneae, Pholcidae) is specifically elicited by Salticid spiders. Behavioural Processes.

The page saysA laboratory study found that this spider whirled for several hours a day in the presence of jumping spiders, and hardly ever with predatory spiders from eight other families.
The source saysLong-duration whirling (gyrating of the body during several hours a day) was shown by the pholcid spider Pholcus phalangioides to salticid spiders and hardly ever to predatory spiders from eight other families in laboratory arenas.
The page saysThe authors suggest the long spin may disturb a jumping spider's ability to keep its eyes fixed on its target.
The source saysLong-duration whirling may have the anti-predatory function of disturbing continual visual fixation of prey in attacking salticids

Source
06

Zobel-Thropp et al. 2019

Zobel-Thropp et al. (2019). Not so Dangerous After All? Venom Composition and Potency of the Pholcid (Daddy Long-Leg) Spider Physocyclus mexicanus. Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution.

The page saysNo. The story says the venom of cellar spiders is the most potent of any spider for mammals, and would be lethal if only their fangs could pierce human skin.
The source sayshave been maligned in popular culture as having venoms with the highest mammalian potency of all spiders, that would be lethal if they only had fangs that could penetrate human skinNote: FAQ 1; 'most potent' = 'highest mammalian potency of all spiders'
The page saysA 2019 study of a different cellar spider, Physocyclus mexicanus, says reports of high potency come from rumor and non-scientific anecdote.
The source saysReports of high mammalian potency emerge from rumor and non-scientific anecdote.Note: study species is Physocyclus mexicanus (Pholcidae, 'commonly called cellar spiders'), not Pholcus; 2019 is the reference's year field
The page saysThe fangs of adult males of that species can pierce uncalloused human skin
The source saysthe fangs of adult male Physocyclus mexicanus are able to pierce uncalloused human skinNote: that species = P. mexicanus
The page saysand documented bites typically cause a mild sting with no long-lasting effects.
The source saysDocumented bites on humans make clear that while these spiders can bite, the typical result is a mild sting with no long-lasting effects.Note: about P. mexicanus bites
The page saysFrom that species, the authors conclude that the effects of cellar spider bites on humans and other mammals are inconsequential.
The source saysthe evidence we present indicates pholcid venoms are a source of interesting new peptides and proteins, and effects of bites on humans and other mammals are inconsequentialNote: pholcid = cellar spider family; the evidence is from P. mexicanus

Source
07

Integrated Taxonomic Information System

Pholcus phalangioides (Fuesslin, 1775), Taxonomic Serial No. 865102. Integrated Taxonomic Information System.

The page saysITIS lists it as introduced in both Canada and the continental US.
The source saysJurisdiction/Origin: Canada, Introduced Continental US, Introduced

How the table was made: a writer drafted the profile from these sources and logged each claim with its quote, a reviewer with nothing but this table checked every sentence said no more than its quote, and a script confirmed each quote appears word for word in the source. The method is in the site'sAbout page.