Identification, Images, & Information
For Insects, Spiders & Their Kin
For the United States & Canada
Clickable Guide
Moths Butterflies Flies Caterpillars Flies Dragonflies Flies Mantids Cockroaches Bees and Wasps Walkingsticks Earwigs Ants Termites Hoppers and Kin Hoppers and Kin Beetles True Bugs Fleas Grasshoppers and Kin Ticks Spiders Scorpions Centipedes Millipedes

Calendar
Upcoming Events

Photos of insects and people from the 2024 BugGuide gathering in Idaho July 24-27

Moth submissions from National Moth Week 2024

Photos of insects and people from the 2022 BugGuide gathering in New Mexico, July 20-24

Photos of insects and people from the Spring 2021 gathering in Louisiana, April 28-May 2

Photos of insects and people from the 2019 gathering in Louisiana, July 25-27

Photos of insects and people from the 2018 gathering in Virginia, July 27-29


Previous events


TaxonomyBrowseInfoImagesLinksBooksData
Photo#788476
Large Fungus Covered Cellar Spider (Pholcidae)

Large Fungus Covered Cellar Spider (Pholcidae)
Athol, Massachusetts, USA
March 3, 2010
Size: Larger than 4 inches long
I found a few hundred of these while exploring the very dark and cold basement of a two hundred year old building in MA. At first I kept my distance but I noticed that they moved extremely slow and only reacted to light or being touched. There was no eyes or fangs visible. Just the large white puffs on their body and joints. I didn't understand how something could grow so large without a mouth or the speed to catch anything. I then realized that the white "puffs" where something that was growing on a normal cellar spider by seeing one that was only half covered in the fungus. Those poor spiders.

Moved
Moved from ID Request.
Charlie Eisman says the fungus is Torrubiella pulvinata on this one:


Poor thing.

Comment viewing options
Select your preferred way to display the comments and click 'Save settings' to activate your changes.