If you live in many of the southwest states, you may also live in the vicinity of a Brown Recluse spider. Distinguishing this spider from other spiders is critical because their bite can cause a painful, potentially life-threatening wound. Preventive pest control and familiarity with their appearance can help you avoid a painful Recluse spider bite.
Appearance From a Distance
Body Size
Both sexes are very similar in size and shape, although males have slightly smaller bodies and longer legs than females. The Recluse has a fused head and thorax structure called a “cephalothorax,” which sits atop an abdomen. From a distance, the body appears to have two sections and can be anywhere from one-eighth to one-half an inch long, and one-quarter inch wide.
Legs
Recluse legs are long in relation to their body. At rest, their legs sit at a slanted angle and can spread to the approximate width of an American quarter. Their scientific name, “Loxosceles” means “slanted legs.” Both the legs and the body are covered with fine hairs, which can look like velvet.
Color
Brown Recluse spiders are, in fact, brown. Younger spiders are usually lighter in color, although Recluses at any age can be dull yellow all the way to chocolate in color. Their color is usually uniform as well, not mottled or spotted.
On Closer Inspection
Unwelcome guest by Eje Gustafsson
Markings and Eyes
It is the appearance of these two distinctive attributes together that set Brown Recluse spiders apart from other spiders. Spiders that have one or the other attribute, but not both, are not Recluse spiders.
The Violin
The distinctive “violin”-shaped marking is seen on top of the cephalothorax, with the wide base of the violin at the front of the head and the neck of the violin running backward towards the abdomen. Because of this uniquely shaped marking, the spider is also called the “fiddleback spider”, “brown fiddler”, or “violin spider”. The violin is usually darker than the rest of the cephalothorax.
The Eyes
Unlike other spiders that have eight eyes, Brown Recluses have only six, set out in three pairs across the front of the cephalothorax.
Brown Recluse spiders are shy (“reclusive”) and live in warm, dry but dark and sheltered locations close to the ground. Because they are nocturnal, you won’t likely see them in daylight.
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Photo credit: Unwelcome guest by Eje Gustafsson, used under CC BY 2.0/ resized from original