The brown recluse spider is part of the genus Loxosceles and is sometimes known as “fiddleback” spiders or “violin” spiders because of the violin-shaped marking on the top of the cephalothorax, which are the head and the thorax.
The brown recluse spider has six eyes, which are all arranged in three pairs (sometimes a pair may be so close that they look like one eye rather than two). Their eyes are also their most noticeable feature which makes it easy to identify a brown recluse spider.
Identify the Brown Recluse Spider
The violin-shaped marking is typically found only on more mature brown recluse spider. The brown recluse is range from a light tan to a darker brown color with their entire body being covered with thin hairs. The brown recluse spider is about 3/8 inches long and about 3/16 inches wide. Although the male spider are somewhat smaller in body length than females, their leg span is usually the same length.
If there is more than one color on the legs, or if the legs are dark brown, or if there is more than one pigment on the abdomen, it is NOT a recluse. Note: spitting spiders (genus Scytodes) have a similar eye pattern but do not have the violin mark.
The brown recluse spider is found throughout the Midwest and the southern central part of the United States. It is very rare to find a brown recluse spider outside of those particular areas. Brown recluse spiders are typically found outside in many different areas such as under rocks or logs, woodpiles, dirt, or debris. However, during the cooler months it is not uncommon to find brown recluse spiders within the house, especially basements, attics, closets, or anywhere else that is dry and warm.
Many times during those months the brown recluse will go without any food or water. It is nearly impossible to fully get rid of brown recluse spiders once they have become established in these areas of the home. The brown recluse does not spin a web either to catch their food; instead they hunt their prey which usually consists of insects, either dead or alive.
The brown recluse is actually somewhat nocturnal, as they spend most of the daylight hours hidden within rocks or logs. They line these homes with webbing, which is later used for holding their egg sacs. If a brown recluse spider is seen during daylight hours it usually has to do with the fact that they are hungry, otherwise they stay hidden.
Our Brown Recluse Spider Bite section has some very graphic pictures of what happens when people are bitten by a BRS and pictures of the spider. Rick Vetter over at UC Riverside Dept of Entomology also has a page on Entomology – Brown Recluse Spiders. The agricultural extension service of the university of Tennessee has a brown recluse spider packet in pdf format the you may also find helpful.
Here is a quick test to determine if you may have a Recluse:
1) Has 3 pair of eyes, one in front, one on each side.
2) Has Violin shaped marking
3) Legs must be one uniformly light-colored
4) Only one pigment on the abdomen
5) Fine hairs on legs, no spines
6) Body length is less than half an inch (3/8 usually)
Brown Recluse Spiders
Brown recluse spiders are not aggressive unless they are aggravated, which is like many other species of spiders as well. Some cases where they may bite is if they are trapped between skin and other surface or when putting on clothes that they are hiding in.
Because of that it is extremely important to thoroughly shake out clothing before putting it away to ensure that there are no hidden spiders that could possibly bite. The brown recluse spider bite is often not even felt, which makes it very dangerous. In some cases the bite is noticed right away because of immense pain, for others it can take several hours before the bite is even noticed. The reaction to the bite depends on how much venom is injected.
The only deaths reported from a brown recluse spider bite have been with children under the age of seven. However, the brown recluse is one of four species of spiders that is dangerous to humans along with the black widow spider. If bitten by a brown recluse spider it is vital that the victim seeks medical attention right away, and if possible capturing the spider and bringing it in will help ensure accurate identification. More about the Brown Recluse Spider Bite
Is the brown recluse spider really bad? Should I be aware of it? Should I worry? Please answer because I want to learn more. What is the most poison spider in the world?
yeah that looks like a brown recluse spider bite you probably need to get medical attention soon. but im not a doctor but im just saying thats what it looks like
i think i found a brown recluse spider in my bathroom im really scared there are more what should i do.
hi i have a spider bite of some sort i’m confused about it because i’m not sure rather it is a yellow sac spider or brown recluse spider that had bit me i’m only twelve and this is pretty scary for me because the bites i have seen are horrifying my bite looks about three millimeters altogether but it is surrounded by a fairly large red swollen area my grandma is to stubborn to take me anywhere so please, can someone give me advice?
Thanks for the info. My friend got bite and he’s in the hospital.
I believe i was bitten on my calf while i was sleeping on Tuesday September the 22nd. I did not find anything till the next afternoon. i noticed what looked like a pimple that itched like crazy. I popped the bump yesterday night and nothing seemed to come out but i noticed that it was red and hurt like crazy when i touched it and the edges of it had become firm. This morning i woke up and it no longer itched but the firmness had spread and the redness had also. Well now my entire calf is beginning and the redness is still spreading. Should I seek medical attention?
Here are some pics of it from today.
My name is Zach i just got off of a town bus and noticed i have a nickel size rash and in the middle a zit like thing i didn’t care and went on with my day 30 minutes later i felt sick to my stomach and a little dizzy and 2 hours from then i still feel sick is that bad?
ok,i got bit by a brown recluse this spring and now i am one big sissy when it comes to spiders, I scream like a little girl,well i am, freaking out again there is this large spider on my railing right now,its back looks like a hornet,the rest is brown and its legs have dark brown strips on it,i don’t know if this thing on his back is a part of him or a eggs sack,i will try to download the picture,but i don’t know how so that may not happen,please help,thank mary wille
Hello,
I’m a research scientist that lives in an area where Brown Recluses are abundant. I invented a simple low cost first aid method to arrest Brown Recluse bites. 100s of people have used the method without failure. I have shown many physicians the results of arrested Brown Recluse bites using this first aid procedure as well as describing my theories on the physical and chemical properties of the venom. But, the physicians deny that these bites were ever from Brown Recluse spiders. In order to help people afflicted with this spider bite, are there any suggestions on how to get this simple procedure into the mainstream medical community? I think the medical community is incredibly fearful of trying anything (even simple non-harmful methods) without fear of legal liabilities. Maybe this is a great example of why our medical costs are out of control in the United States. In the U.S., a simple procedure can’t be employed to help thousands of people because of fear of legal liability.
Dr. Morton
P.S. I just saw the “Not intended for medical advice.” in the note above. I guess a solution to Brown Recluse bites will remain silent.
Wed. Sept 16, 2009
Can anyone tell me if this is a spider bite? If so what kind? My daughter was hiking in the woods last Sat. and on Sun. or Mon. she developed a red and swollen circle. (see picture) She went to the primary Dr. and they didn’t know what it was. Gave her Bactrim antibiotic and said to put hot packs on it. If it is not better come back on Friday Sep18, 2009. What kind of a Dr. does one see for a spider bite? What kind of specialist do you go to.
If anyone can help PLEASE do so at ckc51 [at] comcast.net
Thank You
oh my gosh! i have something like the smaller bites above!!!!! it was redish and itchy and kind of hurt. and I’m scared to death of what might happen!i don’t know what to do!!!!!! i’m just going to go to the doctor and see what he/she says because a found a brownish yellowish colored spider crawling across my wall, it had a hard to see black line but it was a small line thingy. i tried to smash it but its guts and stuff weren’t on the shoe or the wall so i think it got away so now i’m even more scared!!! :”{
Until you get to your doctor, go to the 24 hr drugstore, get a triple antibiotic ointment and betadine. Clean with betadine, let dry, apply ointment as on the directions. Do not go overboard with either product they both are easily absorbed through skin and could do damage to your organs so read and follow the directions on the product.
Go see your doctor.
Stop playing in dirt.
I was working in the garden for my mom. As I pulled out some dead grass and weeds, there were several different things crawling in the dirt, the usual. Some small spiders, some bigger, nothing unusual for Texas. There were not any scorpions thank God!Some centipeds and larva, some earthworms. I tried to stay clear of their path and hurry. I was on my hands and knees. Anyway, that was Saturday. Sunday I was scratching my knee and noticed what I thought was an ant bite or mosquito bite. Sunday night, I looked at it cause my knee was really itchy and it was just a little round red spot. I was restless all last night and when I woke up this morning, my insides were sore and my knee really itches. It is now a red spot the size of my fingernail. You can’t see it, but I can feel a bump behind it. I just wanted some advice or comments as to what you think it might be. Should I get this checked out? I didn’t want to feel stupid over a mesquito bite if that is what it is. But I also don’t want to be stupid and loose skin or tissue around my knee….Advice???
Thank You!
the brown recluse spider exists in Pennsylvania -our garage is totally infested with them and the basement is starting to become infested. bombs do not work. be prepared to pay for extermination services that may or may not eradicate them.
tales from the spider killer: i hate spiders! kill count today was 8. we live in a wooded area by a lake in minnesota and they are everywhere! unfortunately i live in the basement so they like to visit me all hours of the night. i got bit the other night in my sleep, and i just killed a fishing spider 5 minutes ago who was staring at me in my bed. ick! i also saw the biggest spider of my life today (other than the zoo) and it was a big fat wolf spider. it’s body was about a 3/4″ in diameter with legs 2.5-3″ diameter spread. i was moving large stones from a rock pile and i almost shat myself. armed with a newspaper from the trash, i went back to show him some wrath.
i flipped the stone and there he was. whack! see ya. another time a year ago i saw a pretty hairy spider crawling across my floor. sometimes i let the small ones go but it was pretty decent in size and moving pretty quick so i grabbed whatever i could… a notebook i think, and after smashing it, numerous little period sized baby spiders started crawling every which direction from their mom’s back! this is in my bedroom ok? i almost vomited. probably one of the most grotesque things i have ever seen. no matter how many spiders i kill there are always more. it’s pretty ridiculous. just a few nights ago i felt one crawling across my face while watching tv.
umm nasty? what’s wrong with these little demons? and why won’t they just leave me alone? if they only knew that their life would be ending shortly after they cross me they would surely try harder to avoid me. spiders beware i’m coming to get you.
ryan “spider slayer”
I was bitten in 2005 by a brown recluse spider in Central Florida. They came down riding in my clothing & in my furniture which was stored in Virginia & Central Florida for a total of about 12 years. I learned the hard way that Storage areas don’t spray & that is how the brown recluse came into Florida. They came in through the thousands of military people who brought their stored stuff with them until they could either buy or find a place to live. If you are like me, you are also unfortunate as my brown recluse spiders seemed to evolve into very large spiders that can take on the largest of the palmetto bugs, those 4 inch types? Well, the venom also evolved right along with the size.
We saw, sprayed & photographed a huntsman crab spider the other day & realized that not only did we bring the brown recluse down, but people who collect & have spiders as pets, have RELEASED them into the wild & now poisonous & sometimes very dangerous spiders have evolved to make their homes in the Central & complete Florida area. Now think you this. As long as you don’t have winter weather that goes below 30, you can have a thriving population of very large brown recluse spiders that don’t die in the winter AND you can have other spiders that are supposed to only live in Australia & Africa which now make their homes comfortably in the high trees of Florida. For those of you living where there is still winter, the bad news is that your spiders may die in the winter, but their eggs will live & they will hatch around March or so of each year. Brown recluse spiders go on the hunt for mates between April & July & become extremely agressive. Add that to the fact that they are also extremely fast, like to jump, live in places that are not well visited which has to include under your bed or anywhere there is furniture with a corner that you might not visit very often & under furniture & behind refrigerators & you realize that you have a HUGE amount of space for brown recluses to live IN. That being said, I have had 4 years of struggles between doctors in Florida who tell me that I couldn’t have been bitten by a brown recluse even though we bagged the body & had it identified by not only a “but” guy for the State but also by the VA’s medical staff for infection diseases. ; & doctors who’ve never worked with bug bites but think that they can “heal” the necrotizing fasciatis that is brought on by the venom from the spider & the possible cases of MRSA either caused by wound care facilities themselves or the people treating me IN them, and ADD that to the hospital bourne infections that I received from hospitals which treated me for the infections caught simply because the wound got so big. It was made even bigger for a graft which failed due to many causes…
NOw we’re trying to get another graft & find someone who will see if there is anything that we can do to make me less appetizing to other spiders. When I was bitten, the worst thing is that the venom creates pheromes which lead other spiders to me thinking that I might be a ready meal for them!!!! I didn’t like spiders to begin with & now they think I’m lunch! My wound is now 17″ wide & takes up almost all the way around my calf & is about 7 inches high. Some treatments for liver function by an acupuncturist actually closed one of the wounds up completely although it opens every now & again & spits out some pus & then closes up again nicely. The last graft grew back in nerves & a great deal of flesh that had been lost through a prior car accident before the spider bite. So my leg “looks normal” but isn’t quite back because it has no skin. The wound feels as if I had a giant blister & the blister popped. That’s what it feels like 24/7. If I don’t take pain killers every 8 hours, I would be a screaming mess & there are times when I cannot lay the leg down at all.
All I can tell you is anything that you haven’t touched in awhile & anywhere that you haven’t been in awhile, get yourself some Spectracide Bug Stop. It can be found in garden centers, it is clear, the quart sized pump bottle [ good for the environment, no butane or aerosols} is about $3.88 & the gallon size for refill only, as the sprayer leaks, is about $6.88. No smell!!!! not horrible for animals once it has dried. Will create a barrier for doors, windows & all those places including boxes that you haven’t been in awhile, SPRAY everything, almost everything can be washed. Its better than the almost $500,000 so far in insurance & my bills that I’ve gone through in 4 years to try to get this healed. And there are STILL doctors who will say to me, scornfully, after I’ve met & written with over 400 people who’ve been bitten, know someone who’s been bitten or worse, lost a digit, an arm or worse to a bite… I had a doctor at Florida Hospital actually say to me less than two months ago….”there’s no such thing as a brown recluse in Florida!!!!” Don’t you believe it. They’re every where that storage is & hasn’t been sprayed. I will be sending 5 or so pictures before & after graft to give you some idea of the horribleness…. Keep you safe SPRAY….
About two weeks ago I was bitten by a spider. I mow the grass and I know that there are a lot of them in the back yard. There are also some ants in the backyard as well. So when I saw this bite on my leg I thought it was just another fire ant bite. I tried calimyne lotion because it wouldn’t stop itching. when that didn’t work I then went and tried neosporin. With that it just sucked it up like a vacuum. So when I went to a friend’s place I tried having it in chlorine water. After about an hour, when I had to go back in the house, it just felt heavier. It got worse in the next few days. It turned into this bump which was filling with a lot of pus.
By the time I finally went to the hospital it was about the size of a dime and turning slightly black. What the Dr. had to do was some sort of shot into my leg and then he had to use a knife to get it open to get all the pus out. After he did that he made a cut that was a hole. The Dr. placed a piece of tubing gauze so it could stay open to drain. Right now I’m taking a medication for it and is looking a lot better. There are days when it itches so badly but I try so hard to ignore it. I’m one of those people if I have a must scratch then I will get it because I have the nails for it. Can someone please tell me if this sounds like a brown recluse.
Thanks Christine
North Port, Fl
Me little sister found a brown recluse and is keeping it as a pet. I tried to get me mom to make my little sister let it go but, she wont. I’ve tried to take it away from her but she wont let me.