# Daddy Long legs spider mating?



## RobAtkinson (Sep 1, 2010)

Hi guys, i saw this happening but wasn't sure wether they were mating seeing as the female already had an egg sac. Why would the female drop the egg sac?. Btw apologies for the blurry photos.


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## asher (Sep 1, 2010)

It's too late in the year for mating, plus one already had an egg-sac, so would not mate. Also, I'd say both spiders are females due to their size.

They're probably eating each other, since P. phalangiodes is a highly cannibalistic species.

Edit: Didn't see the photos properly, she probably dropped her egg-sac since another female coming along is a big threat which she needed to neutralise - she couldn't do that while carrying an egg-sac. Good find, though! I've never seen a spider drop an egg sac.


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## TheTyro (Sep 1, 2010)

By the way, they are called Cellar Spiders.


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## RobAtkinson (Sep 1, 2010)

Well I've just had another look and they are still right next to each other. I saw the one without the egg sac go in for a bite(I think) and it keeps moving going across the web. But credit to the mother, she seems to be defending herself even with the egg sac in her mouth.


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## RobAtkinson (Sep 2, 2010)

Having just had another look, the mother and egg sac are still here and the intruder is nowhere to be seen


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## j-boy (Sep 2, 2010)

asher said:


> It's too late in the year for mating, plus one already had an egg-sac, so would not mate. Also, I'd say both spiders are females due to their size.
> 
> They're probably eating each other, since P. phalangiodes is a highly cannibalistic species.
> 
> Edit: Didn't see the photos properly, she probably dropped her egg-sac since another female coming along is a big threat which she needed to neutralise - she couldn't do that while carrying an egg-sac. Good find, though! I've never seen a spider drop an egg sac.


Is that all spiders? Because I have never seen grass funnel web spiders mate and all of the sudden, like in almost every web the spider has had an egg sac, mated already of is mating now. Just curious  .


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## RobAtkinson (Sep 2, 2010)

Are you sure they weren't mating? Both spiders are still around. I just think it would be a bit odd if they were fighting that both spiders and egg sac survived.


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## Malhavoc's (Sep 3, 2010)

looking at the pictures it looks like mating to me, and cellar spiders are less dictated by time of year due to the regulated temprature of our homes.


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## asher (Sep 3, 2010)

TheTyro said:


> By the way, they are called Cellar Spiders.


Pholcus phalangiodes, actually


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