# Marbled Cellar Spider (*holocnemus pluchei*) The Marbled Cellar Spider is a fascinating little creature that loves to hide in dark corners. Its unique marbled pattern helps it blend into its surroundings! - **Category:** [Invertebrate](https://www.snappit.app/explore/categories/invertebrate) - **Rarity:** Common - **Danger:** 0/5 · No known danger - **Snaps:** 3 - **Habitat:** They live in dark, damp areas like basements, caves, and under rocks. - **Also known as:** Marbled Spider ![Marbled Cellar Spider](https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=Special:Redirect/file/Holocnemus_pluchei_Male.jpg&width=800) Photo: Didier Descouens, CC BY-SA 3.0 · [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Holocnemus_pluchei_Male.jpg) ## Appearance The Marbled Cellar Spider has a pale yellowish-brown body with distinct dark, marbled patterns on its abdomen. Its long, fragile legs are notably slender, often featuring darker rings at the joints, making it distinct from other cellar spiders. ## Taxonomy - **Kingdom:** Animalia - **Phylum:** Arthropoda - **Class:** Arachnida - **Order:** Araneae - **Family:** Pholcidae - **Genus:** Holocnemus ## Interesting facts - Despite their delicate looks, these spiders can capture and eat prey much larger than themselves! - Female Marbled Cellar Spiders carry their egg sac in their jaws until the spiderlings hatch! - They are sometimes called 'daddy long-legs' but are not true daddy long-legs! - They pluck other spiders' webs to lure out prey, a clever hunting trick! ## Special abilities - **Messy Web Weaver:** Marbled Cellar Spider can spin loose, tangled webs that help them efficiently trap various flying and crawling insects. - **Vibration Vanisher:** Marbled Cellar Spider has incredibly long legs that allow it to vibrate its body rapidly, blurring itself to confuse predators. - **Spider Hunter:** Marbled Cellar Spider can use its agility and venom to hunt and overpower other spiders, even larger ones, in their own webs. ## Measurements & details - **Weight:** 0.05 g - **Lifespan:** 1 years ## Diet & Feeding These expert hunters trap insects and other small arthropods in their messy webs. - **Primary Foods:** flies, mosquitoes, moths, other spiders, silverfish - **Foraging Method:** Ambush ## Ecological connections - **Hunts:** Common House Spider (*Parasteatoda tepidariorum*) — They are known predators of other house-dwelling spiders. - **Hunts:** [Western Black Widow](https://www.snappit.app/explore/western-black-widow) (*Latrodectus hesperus*) — Marbled Cellar Spiders are known to kill and eat black widows. - **Hunts:** House Fly (*Musca domestica*) — They efficiently catch and consume common household flies. - **Eaten by:** [Common Wall Lizard](https://www.snappit.app/explore/common-wall-lizard) (*Podarcis muralis*) — Small lizards may occasionally prey on cellar spiders. ## Traits - [Solitary](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/solitary): Solitary animals live alone for most of their lives, only interacting with others for mating or parental care. - [Camouflaged](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/camouflaged): Camouflaged describes organisms that possess coloring or patterns that allow them to blend into their environment. - [Forest](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/forest): Forest habitats are terrestrial environments dominated by dense tree cover, supporting a high diversity of plant and animal life. - [Carnivorous](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/carnivorous): This trait identifies organisms whose diet consists entirely or primarily of animal tissue. - [Nocturnal](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/nocturnal): Nocturnal animals are primarily active during the nighttime hours, typically resting or sleeping during the day. ## Collections - [Invertebrates](https://www.snappit.app/explore/collections/invertebrates) ## Safety **Danger:** 0/5 · No known danger Always look but do not touch spiders! ## Frequently Asked Questions ### How to identify Marbled Cellar Spider? Compare body proportions, leg shape, abdomen markings and the web, if there is one. Eye arrangement can be decisive but rarely shows up in a casual phone photo. A web is a supporting clue, not proof of who built it. Spider Identifier: upload a photo and compare the visible details. ### How much does Marbled Cellar Spider weigh? 0.05 g ### How long does Marbled Cellar Spider live? 1 years ### What does Marbled Cellar Spider eat? These expert hunters trap insects and other small arthropods in their messy webs. ### Where is Marbled Cellar Spider usually found? They live in dark, damp areas like basements, caves, and under rocks. ### How does Marbled Cellar Spider hunt? Ambush ## Where to spot - [Southern Nevada Zoological-Botanical Park](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/southern-nevada-zoological-botanical-park) — Nevada, US · Zoo - [Las Vegas High School Neighborhood Historic District](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/las-vegas-high-school-neighborhood-historic-district) — Nevada, US · Historic District - [Southern Nevada Zoological-Botanical Park](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/southern-nevada-zoological-botanical-park-nevada) — Nevada, US · Zoo - [Springs Preserve](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/springs-preserve) — Nevada, US · Nature Reserve - [The Gardens at the Las Vegas Springs Preserve](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/the-gardens-at-the-las-vegas-springs-preserve) — Nevada, US · Botanical Garden - [Wildlife World Zoo](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/wildlife-world-zoo) — Arizona, US · Zoo [View all places to see Marbled Cellar Spider](https://www.snappit.app/guides/where-to-see/marbled-cellar-spider) ## More Invertebrate - [Coral](https://www.snappit.app/explore/coral) - [Crab Spider](https://www.snappit.app/explore/crab-spider) (*Mecaphesa asperata*) - [Garden Spider](https://www.snappit.app/explore/garden-spider) (*Araneus diadematus*) - [Brown Recluse Spider](https://www.snappit.app/explore/brown-recluse-spider) (*Loxosceles reclusa*) --- Source: [Marbled Cellar Spider: Facts & Places to See — Snappit](https://www.snappit.app/explore/marbled-cellar-spider)