# Tailed Cellar Spider (*crossopriza lyoni*) The Tailed Cellar Spider has long, skinny legs and a body that looks like it has a little tail! These spiders love to hang out in dark, cozy places like basements and caves. - **Category:** [Invertebrate](https://www.snappit.app/explore/categories/invertebrate) - **Rarity:** Common - **Danger:** 1/5 · Very low - **Snaps:** 2 - **Habitat:** They live in dark, damp places like basements, caves, and under rocks. - **Also known as:** Long-legged Spider ![Tailed Cellar Spider](https://inaturalist-open-data.s3.amazonaws.com/photos/14515564/medium.jpg) Photo: Lucinda Gibson, Museum Victoria, CC BY 4.0 · [iNaturalist](https://www.inaturalist.org/photos/14515564) ## Appearance The Tailed Cellar Spider has a pale brownish to grayish, slender body with long, delicate legs. Its most distinctive feature is a segmented, tail-like abdomen that tapers to a point, visually differentiating it from other cellar spiders. ## Taxonomy - **Kingdom:** Animalia - **Phylum:** Arthropoda - **Class:** Arachnida - **Order:** Araneae - **Family:** Pholcidae - **Genus:** Crossopriza ## Interesting facts - Female Tailed Cellar Spiders carry their eggs in their jaws until they hatch! - If a Tailed Cellar Spider loses a leg, it can grow a new one back! - Some Tailed Cellar Spiders live in groups, sharing a web like a community! - They don't build neat spiral webs; instead, they spin a tangled, messy "cobweb"! ## Special abilities - **Tail Twirl:** Tailed Cellar Spider has a flexible, segmented "tail" that helps them balance and quickly reorient themselves during movement or web repair. - **Web Whisperer:** Tailed Cellar Spider can sense tiny vibrations in their messy, irregular webs because of sensitive leg hairs that help them locate trapped prey. - **Instant Invisible:** Tailed Cellar Spider can play dead by freezing and dropping from its web, because this trick helps them escape from approaching predators. - **Spider Sniper:** Tailed Cellar Spider can hunt other spiders, even dangerous ones, because they are quick and wrap prey in silk from a safe distance. ## Measurements & details - **Length:** 3 mm - **Size:** 50 mm - **Lifespan:** 3 years ## Diet & Feeding These stealthy hunters mostly eat insects and other spiders caught in their messy webs. - **Primary Foods:** flies, mosquitoes, moths, other spiders, small invertebrates - **Foraging Method:** Ambush ## Ecological connections - **Hunts:** common house fly (*Musca domestica*) — Frequently captures house flies in its web. - **Hunts:** southern black widow (*Latrodectus mactans*) — Known to hunt and kill dangerous black widow spiders. - **Eaten by:** [common wall lizard](https://www.snappit.app/explore/common-wall-lizard) (*Podarcis muralis*) — Lizards may prey on cellar spiders encountered in homes. ## 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:** 1/5 · Very low No special safety notes yet. ## Frequently Asked Questions ### How to identify Tailed 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 long is Tailed Cellar Spider? 3 mm ### How big is Tailed Cellar Spider? 50 mm ### How long does Tailed Cellar Spider live? 3 years ### What does Tailed Cellar Spider eat? These stealthy hunters mostly eat insects and other spiders caught in their messy webs. ### Where is Tailed Cellar Spider usually found? They live in dark, damp places like basements, caves, and under rocks. ### How does Tailed Cellar Spider hunt? Ambush ## Where to spot - [Crowley Historic District](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/crowley-historic-district) — Louisiana, US · Historic District - [Fairview Historic District](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/fairview-historic-district) — Georgia, US · Historic District - [West Lake Underhill Park](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/west-lake-underhill-park) — Florida, US · Park - [Colonel Joe Kittinger Park](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/colonel-joe-kittinger-park) — Florida, US · Park [View all places to see Tailed Cellar Spider](https://www.snappit.app/guides/where-to-see/tailed-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: [Tailed Cellar Spider: Facts & Places to See — Snappit](https://www.snappit.app/explore/tailed-cellar-spider)