Crossopriza

Simon, 1893

cellar spiders

Species Guides

Crossopriza lyoni(Tailed Cellar Spider)

Crossopriza is a of cellar spiders ( Pholcidae) described by Eugène Louis Simon in 1893. The genus comprises 24 as of October 2025, with native distributions in Africa and Asia. The most widely known member, C. lyoni, has become through human-mediated introduction and is now found globally in human dwellings.

Crossopriza lyoni by (c) Lucinda Gibson, Museum Victoria, some rights reserved (CC BY). Used under a CC-BY license.

Crossopriza lyoni by (c) Lucas Rubio, some rights reserved (CC BY), uploaded by Lucas Rubio. Used under a CC-BY license.

Female Crossopriza lyoni with eggs - Mindanao, Philippines by Obsidian Soul. Used under a CC BY-SA 3.0 license.

Pronunciation

How to pronounce Crossopriza: /ˌkrɒsəˈpraɪzə/

These audio files are automatically generated. While they are not always 100% accurate, they are a good starting point.

Images

Distribution

Native to Africa and Asia; C. lyoni introduced worldwide and now in human dwellings

Human Relevance

C. lyoni is a commonly found in human residences and cellars, where it constructs loose, irregular webs. It has been described as pestiferous when abundant due to extensive webbing. The species has become a subject of laboratory research, with the first successful captive breeding system established to create laboratory stock cultures.