Crossopriza lyoni

Tailed cellar spider
Crossopriza lyoni
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Subphylum: Chelicerata
Class: Arachnida
Order: Araneae
Infraorder: Araneomorphae
Family: Pholcidae
Genus: Crossopriza
Species:
C. lyoni
Binomial name
Crossopriza lyoni
(Blackwall, 1867)
C. lyoni estimated distribution.[1]
Synonyms[2][3][4]
Species synonymy
  • Crossopriza brasiliensis
    Mello-Leitão, 1935
  • Crossopriza mucronata
    Mello-Leitão, 1942
  • Crossopriza francoisi
    Millot, 1946
  • Crossopriza stridulans
    Millot, 1946
  • Crossopriza lyoni
    Pocock, 1900
  • Crossopriza lyoni
    Simon, 1893
  • Pholcus lyoni
    Blackwall, 1867
  • Smeringopus lyoni
    Thorell, 1895
  • Tibiosa caracensis
    González-Sponga, 2006
  • Tibiosa casanaimensis
    González-Sponga, 2006
  • Tibiosa coreana
    González-Sponga, 2006
  • Tibiosa guayanesa
    González-Sponga, 2006
  • Tibiosa moraensis
    González-Sponga, 2006

Crossopriza lyoni is a widespread species of cellar spiders that prefer to live in or around human structures. They are commonly known as tailed cellar spiders, tailed daddy longlegs spiders, and sometimes box spiders. They all possess extremely long fragile legs that can reach up to 6 cm (2.4 in) long and a body length of that ranges from 2.5 to 7 mm (0.098 to 0.276 in). Their abdomens are distinctly squarish when viewed from the side and their carapace is more or less circular when viewed from above. They also possess two kinds of sound-producing organs and have six eyes.

The original range of C. lyoni is unknown. They have been introduced into other parts of the world accidentally and are now pantropical in distribution. They are a regulated species in some countries and are often regarded as pests due to the large amounts of unsightly webs they construct inside human homes. Some people, however, regard them as beneficial, as they are efficient predators of mosquitoes and other arthropods. They are harmless to humans.

  1. ^ "Species: Crossopriza lyoni (Blackwall, 1867)". Global Biodiversity Information Facility. Retrieved May 12, 2011.
  2. ^ N. I. Platnick (2008). The World Spider Catalog, version 9.0. American Museum of Natural History. Retrieved May 12, 2011
  3. ^ Bernhard A. Huber. "Crossopriza Simon, 1893". Pholcidae: the longest legs in the web. Archived from the original on June 17, 2011. Retrieved May 12, 2011.
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference irie was invoked but never defined (see the help page).