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Pholcidae Smeringopus

Smeringopus pallidus (Blackwall, 1858)

Large House Daddy-long-legs

This eight-eyed species is easily recognised by its association with the human habitation and by its sheer size. The spotted, almost leopard-like, abdominal pattern is more distinct in the female than in the male. A pair of wavy bands run laterally and longitudinally on the male abdomen.

Length♀ 6–7 mm; ♂ 5 mm
Type LocalityBrazil
DistributionPantropical, including Singapore, Indonesia, Brunei, Vietnam, Laos, Philippines, China, Japan, India, Sri Lanka, Australia, Samoa, South Africa, United States, Brazil.
HabitatDark and neglected corners in and around houses, such as garages and storage areas of gardening equipment, or under grilles covering drains. Occasionally on mud walls or among low vegetation in gardens and wooded environment.

Taxonomy

Type Deposits*

  1. Holotype

    Museum für Naturkunde, Berlin (ZMB), Germany; ♂ (9861) of Smeringopus pholcicus (Strand, 1907a)

  2. Holotype

    Naturhistorisches Museum, Basel (NMB), Switzerland; ♀ (ARAN-01224a) of Smeringopus buehleri (Schenkel, 1944)

  3. Syntype

    Zoologisches Museum Hamburg (ZMH), Hamburg, Germany (data base search of type material, 11.02.2019); 2♂ 1♀ (A 2280-2281)

Taxonomic references*

  1. Pholcus pallidus (Original description ♀)

    Blackwall, 1858a Descriptions of six newly discovered species and characters of a new genus of Araneida: 433 doi:10.1080/00222935808696953

  2. Pholcus phalangioides (♀; misidentified per Thorell, 1878b: 162)

    Doleschall, 1859 Tweede Bijdrage tot de kennis der Arachniden van den Indischen Archipel: 47, pl. 16, f. 8

  3. Pholcus pallidus (Original description ♂)

    Blackwall, 1861b Descriptions of several recently discovered spiders: 444 doi:10.1080/00222936108697446

  4. Pholcus elongatus (Original description ♀)

    Vinson, 1863 Aranéides des îles de La Réunion, Maurice et Madagascar: 307, pl. 3, f. 5 doi:10.5962/bhl.title.125517

  5. Pholcus distinctus (Original description ♀)

    O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1869b Catalogue of a collection of Ceylon Araneida lately received from Mr J: 380, pl. 11, f. 28-30 doi:10.1111/j.1096-3642.1869.tb00667.x

  6. Pholcus tipuloides (Original description ♂♀)

    L. Koch, 1872a Die Arachniden Australiens, nach der Natur beschrieben und abgebildet [Erster Theil, Lieferung 3-7]: 281, pl. 23, f. 5 doi:10.5962/bhl.title.121660

  7. Pholcus tigrinus (Original description ♂♀)

    Taczanowski, 1874 Les aranéides de la Guyane française: 104, pl. 2, f. 7

  8. Pholcus margarita (Original description ♂♀)

    Workman, 1878 Description of two new species of spiders: 451, pl. 18, f. 1 doi:10.1080/00222937808682455

  9. Pholcus elongatus (Synonym of Pholcus tipuloides)

    Thorell, 1878b Studi sui ragni Malesi e Papuani: 162

  10. Pholcus excavatus (Original description ♂)

    Simon, 1878g Étude sur les arachnides du Congo (suite) (1): 482

  11. Pholcus tipuloides

    Marx, 1889a A contribution to the knowledge of the spider fauna of the Bermuda Islands: 99, pl

  12. Smeringopus elongatus

    Simon, 1890a Etudes arachnologiques: 94

  13. Priscula tigrina

    Simon, 1893a Histoire naturelle des araignées. Deuxième édition, tome premier: 478 doi:10.5962/bhl.title.51973

  14. Smeringopus purpureus (Original description ♀)

    Moenkhaus, 1898 Contribuição para o conhecimento das aranhas de S: 90, pl. 5, f. 1

  15. Smeringopus elongatus

    Pocock, 1900a The fauna of British India, including Ceylon and Burma. Arachnida: 239 doi:10.5962/bhl.title.48423

  16. Smeringopus pholcicus (Original description ♂)

    Strand, 1907a Vorläufige Diagnosen afrikanischer und südamerikanischer Spinnen: 527

  17. Smeringopus pholcicus (Original description ♂)

    Strand, 1907n Afrikanische Spinnen (exkl: 571

  18. Smeringopus todai (Original description ♀)

    Kishida, 1913e Japanese spiders (5): 43, f. 1

  19. Smeringopus geniculatus (♀, Transferred from Pholcus; misidentified, see Smeringopus geniculatus; Synonym of Smeringopus elongatus, rejected by Mello-Leitão, 1918c Scytodidas e pholcidas do Brasil: 121, f. 34-35

  20. Smeringopus elongatus (♀, revalidated contra Mello-Leitão, 1918c: 121)

    Petrunkevitch, 1929b The spiders of Porto Rico: 144, f. 136-138

  21. Smeringopus elongatus (♂♀)

    Berland, 1929b Araignées (Araneida): 43, f. 2-3

  22. Smeringopus kishidai (Original description ♀)

    Saitō, 1933b Notes on the spiders from Formosa: 41, pl. 3, f. 8

  23. Smeringopus katangae (Original description ♂♀)

    Giltay, 1935a Notes arachnologiques africaines: 2, f. 1-3

  24. Smeringopus elongatus (♂♀)

    Millot, 1941 Les araignées de l'Afrique Occidentale Française - sicariides et pholcides: 18, f. 7A-I

  25. Smeringopus bühleri (Original description ♀)

    Schenkel, 1944 Arachnoidea aus Timor und China aus den Sammlungen des Basler Museums: 176, f. 2a-c doi:10.5962/bhl.part.117872

  26. Smeringopus elongatus (♀)

    Millot, 1946a Les pholcides de Madagascar (Aranéides): 150, f. 25A

  27. Smeringopus geniculatus (misidentified, see Smeringopus geniculatus [a nomen dubium], Synonym of Smeringopus elongatus and S. pallidus, the oldest available name for this species)

    Mello-Leitão, 1946a Notas sobre os Filistatidae e Pholcidae: 73

  28. Smeringopus pallidus (♂♀, Synonym of Smeringopus katangae, S. kishidai and S. purpureus)

    Kraus, 1957 Araneenstudien 1: 219, f. 1-6

  29. Smeringopus pullidus (Synonym of Smeringopus todai)

    Lee, 1966 [Spiders of Formosa (Taiwan)]: 35

  30. Smeringopus pallidus (♂)

    Timm, 1976 Die Bedeutung von Genitalstrukturen für die Klärung systematischer Fragen bei Zitterspinnen (Arachnida: Araneae: Pholcidae): 70, f. 7-8 doi:10.1127/entom.germ/3/1976/69

  31. Smeringopus pallidus (♂♀)

    Saaristo, 1978 Spiders (Arachnida, Araneae) from the Seychelle islands, with notes on taxonomy: 102, f. 23-26, 31-38

  32. Smeringopus pallidus (♂♀)

    Yaginuma, 1986a Spiders of Japan in color (new ed: 28, f. 17.4

  33. Smeringopus pallidus (♂♀)

    Huber, 1998b The pholcid spiders of Costa Rica (Araneae: Pholcidae): 1597, f. 120-122

  34. Smeringopus pallidus (♂♀)

    Song, Zhu & Chen, 1999 The spiders of China: 65, f. 26I-O

  35. Smeringopus pallidus (♂)

    Huber, 2000 New World pholcid spiders (Araneae: Pholcidae): A revision at generic level: 12, f. 15, 72, 119, 164, 191 doi:10.1206/0003-0090(2000)254<0001:NWPSAP>2.0.CO;2

  36. Smeringopus pallidus (♂♀)

    Huber, 2001 The pholcids of Australia (Araneae; Pholcidae): taxonomy, biogeography, and relationships: 134, f. 431, 434-436 doi:10.1206/0003-0090(2001)260<0001:TPOAAP>2.0.CO;2

  37. Smeringopus pallidus (Synonym of Priscula tigrina)

    Huber & Zhu, 2001 On Taczanowski's pholcids, with three new synonymies in Pholcidae (Araneae): 152

  38. Smeringopus pallidus (♂♀)

    Saaristo, 2001b Pholcid spiders of the granitic Seychelles (Araneae, Pholcidae): 23, f. 49-55

  39. Smeringopus pullidus (♂♀)

    Cai, 2003 A description of the male of Smeringopus pullidus [sic] (Araneae: Pholcidae): 20, f. 1-9

  40. Smeringopus pallidus (♂♀)

    Beatty, Berry & Huber, 2008 The pholcid spiders of Micronesia and Polynesia (Araneae, Pholcidae): 21, f. 20, 55 doi:10.1636/H05-66.1

  41. Smeringopus pallidus (♂♀)

    Irie, 2009 Pholcidae: 111, f. 39-41

  42. Smeringopus pallidus (♂♀)

    Saaristo, 2010 Araneae: 169, f. 25.54-63

  43. Smeringopus excavatus (Transferred from Pholcus)

    Huber, 2011b Revision and cladistic analysis of Pholcus and closely related taxa (Araneae, Pholcidae): 126

  44. Smeringopus pallidus (♂♀, Synonym of Smeringopus buehleri, S. excavatus and S. pholcicus)

    Huber, 2012 Revision and cladistic analysis of the Afrotropical endemic genus Smeringopus Simon, 1890 (Araneae: Pholcidae): 65, f. 11, 372-373, 378-379, 382-383, 387-400 doi:10.11646/zootaxa.3461.1.1

  45. Smeringopus pallidus (♂♀)

    Yin et al., 2012 Fauna Hunan: Araneae in Hunan, China: 173, f. 36a-i

  46. Smeringopus pallidus (♂♀)

    Taucare-Ríos, 2012b Primer registro de Smeringopus pallidus en Chile (Araneae: Pholcidae): 82, f. 1A-B, 2A-B, 3

* Retrieved from the World Spider Catalog.

Distribution Map for Smeringopus pallidus (Blackwall, 1858)

Pantropical, including Singapore, Indonesia, Brunei, Vietnam, Laos, Philippines, China, Japan, India, Sri Lanka, Australia, Samoa, South Africa, United States, Brazil.

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