Hi Bugman,
Could you help me identify this spider. We have these every year, usually from spring to fall and they seem to enjoy the bathroom more than anywhere else. Some of them are small and other very large measuring about 3 – 5 inches of leg span. They come back very quickly, it doesn’t matter how many times we remove them and clean up after them. They are back within a couple of days. Sometimes we have up to 20 at a time. They aren’t bothersome. They seem to like to use hair and thread in their webs and I never see them catch food and eat. What are they? This particular one seems to have a big ball she / he is holding onto with little bumps all over. Is that an egg sack. I have searched for many years trying to find this spider but have had no luck. We live in the Northwestern mountains of New Jersey. I have a few other spiders that I have yet to get pictures of and will post them also when I do.
Thanks,
Kathy
Hi Kathy,
Search no further. You have Long Bodied Cellar Spiders, Pholcus phalangioides. These are domestic spiders, often found in the bathroom. Sometimes when the web is disturbed, the spider gyrates wildly. That does appear to be an eggsac. One of your photos also shows a discarded skin from a prior molt.