Pholcus phalangioides (Fuesslin, 1775)

Higher Taxonomy
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Arachnida
Order: Araneae
Family: Pholcidae
Genus: Pholcus
Characterisation
Troglophile
Distribution
Western Asia. Introduced to both Americas, Europe, Africa, Asia, Australia, New Zealand and numerous islands.
Distribution in caves of Greece
  • Spilaio Kerateas, Naumova et al. 2016
    Region: Attiki / Regional unit: Anatoliki Attiki / Municipality: Lavreotiki / Closest settlement: Keratea
  • Spilaio Paparadon, Roewer 1959, Brignoli 1979a, Bosmans & Chatzaki 2005, Beron 2016
    Region: Kentriki Makedonia / Regional unit: Imathia / Municipality: Naousa / Closest settlement: Naousa
  • Spilaio Mintsi, Roewer 1959, Brignoli 1979a, Bosmans & Chatzaki 2005, Beron 2016
    Region: Kentriki Makedonia / Regional unit: Pella / Municipality: Edessa / Closest settlement: Edessa
  • Spilaio Voudli, Roewer 1959, Brignoli 1979a, Beron 2016
    Region: Kentriki Makedonia / Regional unit: Pella / Municipality: Edessa / Closest settlement: Edessa
  • Spilaio Achyrospilios, Roewer 1959, Brignoli 1976, Brignoli 1979a, Bosmans & Chatzaki 2005, Bosmans et al. 2013, Beron 2016
    Region: Kriti / Regional unit: Chania / Municipality: Chania / Closest settlement: Chordaki
  • Spilaio Arkalospilios, Brignoli 1976, Brignoli 1979a, Bosmans & Chatzaki 2005, Bosmans et al. 2013, Beron 2016
    Region: Kriti / Regional unit: Chania / Municipality: Chania / Closest settlement: Chordaki
  • Spilaio Katholikou, Roewer 1959, Brignoli 1979a, Huber 2012, Beron 2016, Naumova et al. 2016, Mammola et al. 2019
    Region: Kriti / Regional unit: Chania / Municipality: Chania / Closest settlement: Chordaki
  • Spilaio Panagias Arkoudiotisas, Roewer 1959, Brignoli 1979a, Brignoli 1984, Bosmans & Chatzaki 2005, Bosmans et al. 2013, Beron 2016, Mammola et al. 2019
    Region: Kriti / Regional unit: Chania / Municipality: Chania / Closest settlement: Chordaki
  • Spilaio Chonos Sarchou, Brignoli 1984, Bosmans & Chatzaki 2005, Bosmans et al. 2013, Beron 2016
    Region: Kriti / Regional unit: Irakleio / Municipality: Malevizi / Closest settlement: Sarchos
  • Spilaio Agiou Konstantinou, Roewer 1959, Brignoli 1979a, Bosmans & Chatzaki 2005, Bosmans et al. 2013, Beron 2016
    Region: Kriti / Regional unit: Lasithi / Municipality: Agios Nikolaos / Closest settlement: Paralia Milatou
  • Spilaio Mikro Katofygi, Roewer 1959, Brignoli 1979a, Bosmans & Chatzaki 2005, Bosmans et al. 2013, Beron 2016
    Region: Kriti / Regional unit: Lasithi / Municipality: Siteia / Closest settlement: Agios Georgios
  • Spilaio Antiparou, Brignoli 1976, Deltshev 1985, Bosmans & Chatzaki 2005, Bosmans et al. 2013, Beron 2016
    Region: Notio Aigaio / Regional unit: Paros / Municipality: Antiparos / Closest settlement: Antiparos
  • Spilaio Zoodochou Pigis I, Di Russo & Rampini 2001, Gasparo 2009, Beron 2016, Lips 2018
    Region: Notio Aigaio / Regional unit: Thira / Municipality: Thira / Closest settlement: Kamari
  • Spilaio Zoodochou Pigis II, Beron 2016, Lips 2018
    Region: Notio Aigaio / Regional unit: Thira / Municipality: Thira / Closest settlement: Kamari
  • Spilaio Kyra Panagia 2, Lips 2018
    Region: Notio Aigaio / Regional unit: Thira / Municipality: Thira / Closest settlement: Koloumpos
  • Spilaio Pelagos 2, Lips 2018, Lips 2018, Lips 2018, Lips 2018
    Region: Notio Aigaio / Regional unit: Thira / Municipality: Thira / Closest settlement: Koloumpos
  • Spilaio Agiou Galaktos, Naumova et al. 2016
    Region: Voreio Aigaio / Regional unit: Chios / Municipality: Chios / Closest settlement: Agio Gala
  • Spilaio Agiou Ioanni (Fousa), Gasparo 2006, Bosmans et al. 2009, Beron 2016
    Region: Voreio Aigaio / Regional unit: Lesvos / Municipality: Lesvos / Closest settlement: Kato Tritos
IUCN Red List
NE - Not Evaluated
Greece's Red Data Book
NE - Not Evaluated
Protection status
  • There is no species-specific legal framework for protection.
Check Databases
Fauna Europea
GBIF
PESI
NCBI
Species references
  • Beron, P. 2016. Faune cavernicole de la Grèce. Maison d'édition Est-West., Sofia. pp. 229.
  • Bosmans, R. & Chatzaki, M. 2005. A catalogue of the spiders of Greece. A critical review of all spider species cited from Greece with their localities. Newsletter Belg. Arachn. Soc., 20 (2): 1-124.
  • Bosmans, R. , Baert, L., Bosselaers, J., De Koninck, H., Maelfait, J.-P., Van Keer, J. 2009. Spiders of Lesvos (Greece). A catalogue with all currently known spider reports from the Eastern Aegean Island of Lesbos.. Arachnological Contributions. Newsletter of the Belgian Arachnological Society 24 (suppl.), 2-70.
  • Bosmans, R., Van Keer, J., Russell-Smith, A., Kronestedt, T., Alderweireldt, M., Bosselaers, J. & De Koninck, H. 2013. Spiders of Crete (Araneae). A catalogue of all currently known species from the Greek Island of Crete. Newsletter Belg. Arachn. Soc., 28 (1): 1-147.
  • Brignoli, P. M. 1976. Ragni di Grecia IX. Specie nuove o interessanti delle famiglie Leptonetidae, Dysderidae, Pholcidae ed Agelenidae (Araneae). Rev. suisse Zool., 83 (3): 539-578.
  • Brignoli, P. M. 1979. Ragni di Grecia XI. Specie nuove o interessanti, cavernicole ed epigee. Rev. suisse Zool., 86 (1): 181-202.
  • Brignoli, P. M. 1984. Ragni di Grecia XII. Nuovi dati su varie famiglie (Araneae). Rev. suisse Zool., 91 (2): 281-321.
  • Deltshev, C. 1985. New data conserning cave spiders (Araneae) in Greece with description of a new Leptonetela (Araneae, Leptonetidae). Acta Zool. Bulg., 27: 41-45.
  • Di Russo, C. & Rampini, M. 2001. The Zoodochos cave in Santorini Island. Mem. Biospeol., 55: 201-202.
  • Gasparo, F. 2006. Indagini faunistiche nelle grotte delle isole di Creta e Lesbos (Grecia). Progressione, 52 (1/2): 58-60.
  • Gasparo, F. 2009. La Grotta di Zoodochos Pigi a Santorini (Cicladi, Grecia) e la sua fauna. Progressione, 55 (1/2): 102-105.
  • Huber, Β.A. 2012. An annotated list of the pholcid spiders (Araneae: Pholcidae) deposited at the Muséum national d’Histoire naturelle, Paris.. Version 2, 25pp, http://www.pholcidae.de/PDFs/Paris_collection_2012.pdf , accessed on 18.2.2018
  • Lips B 2018. Expédition biospéologique dans l’île de Santorin (Grèce). Echo des Vulcains, 75: 28-39
  • Mammola S, Cardoso P, Angyal D, Balázs G, Blick T, Carter J, Danflous S, Dányi L, Déjean S, Elverici M, Fernández J, Gasparo F, Komnenov M, Ková L, Bo K, Mock A, Moldovan O, Pavlek M, Prieto C E, Ribera C, Rozwa R, Vargovitsh R S, Zaenker S, Isaia M. 2019. Continental data on cave-dwelling spider communities across Europe (Arachnida : Araneae). Biodiversity Data Journal 7: e38492:1–15.
  • Naumova, M., Lazarov, S., Petrov, B. & Deltshev, C. 2016. New faunistic data on the cave-dwelling spiders in the Balkan Peninsula (Araneae). Ecologica Montenegrina, 7: 425-438.
  • Roewer, C. F. 1959. Die Araneae, Solifuga und Opiliones der Sammlungen des Herrn Dr. K. Lindberg aus Griechenland, Creta, Anatolien, Iran und Indien. Göteborgs kungl. vet. vitterh. Samh. Handl., 8 (4): 3-47.
Citation
Paragamian, K. 2025. Pholcus phalangioides (Fuesslin, 1775). In Paragamian, K., M. Poulinakis, S. Paragamian and I. Nikoloudakis. Cave fauna of Greece database - Hellenic Institute of Speleological Research. Species data updated 10.10.2019, Accessed 29.10.2025