Pholcus phalangioides

Spider, Pholcus phalangioides, in my bedroom in Hayes.  19 August 2011.

Another spider that is easy to recognise. This one is often called a daddy long-legs, but should not be confused with craneflies (Tipulidae) or harvestmen (Opiliones), which are often given the same name. It likes houses, and this specimen was on the ceiling of my bedroom.

If you get close, you can see its shiny thorax, its smart leg-joints and the fine hairs in herring-bone patterns on its legs. Those legs are so long and thin, I wonder how it is possible to move and control all those sections using muscle power. But it can go quite fast if it wants to.