The brown recluse, Loxosceles reclusa, is a spider of the family Sicariidae whose venom is necrotic, and it is one of only two spiders in North America considered dangerously venomous, alongside the black widow. It typically measures between six and twenty millimetres, though it can grow larger, and its coloring ranges from light to dark brown or grayish black. A distinctive dark marking on its cephalothorax, resembling a violin with its neck pointing toward the rear of the spider, has earned it the nicknames fiddleback, brown fiddler and violin spider.
Facts
Classification
System (Realm) Relationship to PeopleVenomous or Dangerous to Humans 2 Comparison
NatureServe Rank CITES Appendix Identification
Distinguishing AppearanceUsually 6 to 20 mm long, with a violin-shaped dark marking on the cephalothorax, neck pointing to the rear, and six eyes in three pairs 1 Scientific Name Conservation Status Connections
Child Taxon Of
Araneae, Taxa Source Wikidata: Brown Recluse Spider
In Biome
Source Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan Museum of Zoology: Loxosceles reclusa (Animal Diversity Web)
Desert, Biomes Source Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan Museum of Zoology: Loxosceles reclusa (Animal Diversity Web)
In the Other Atlases
Found In
Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.
Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.
Sources
1. Brown recluse spider - Wikipedia
Introduction
The brown recluse (Loxosceles reclusa, Sicariidae, formerly placed in a family "Loxoscelidae") is a recluse spider with necrotic venom.
Description
These spiders usually have markings on the dorsal side of their cephalothorax, with a black line coming from it that looks like a violin with the neck of the violin pointing to the rear of the spider.
- North American land spider
View the Source2. Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan Museum of Zoology: Loxosceles reclusa (Animal Diversity Web)
Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan Museum of ZoologyFood Habits
They feed largely on insects; they inject prey with venom that is hemolytic rather than neurotoxic.
Economic Importance for Humans: Negative
Their hemolytic venom is dangerous.
In Biome: Chaparral, Habitat: Terrestrial Biomes
Terrestrial Biomes desert or dune desert or dune savanna or grassland savanna or grassland chaparral chaparral forest forest
In Biome: Desert, Habitat: Terrestrial Biomes
Terrestrial Biomes desert or dune desert or dune savanna or grassland savanna or grassland chaparral chaparral forest forest
View the Source 3. NatureServe: NatureServe Explorer: Loxosceles reclusa
NatureServeConservation status: rounded global rankQuote, Conservation status: rounded global rank
"roundedGRank": "GNR"
4. UNEP-WCMC Species+ database (CITES Secretariat): Species+: Arachnida
UNEP-WCMC Species+ database (CITES Secretariat)Species+ taxon_concepts, id 27Quote, Species+ taxon_concepts, id 27
"cites_listing":"II/III/NC","eu_listing":"B/C/NC","higher_taxa":{"kingdom":"Animalia","phylum":"Arthropoda","class":"Arachnida","order":null,"family":null},"synonyms":[],"common_names":[{"name":"Scorpions And Spiders","language":"EN"},{"name":"Araignées","language":"FR"},{"name":"Arañas","language":"ES"},{"name":"蛛形纲","language":"ZH"}],"cites_listings":[]
5. GBIF Backbone Taxonomy (IUCN Red List category): IUCN Red List category of Loxosceles reclusa
GBIF Backbone Taxonomy (IUCN Red List category)iucnRedListCategory recordQuote, iucnRedListCategory record
"category": "NOT_EVALUATED"
IUCN Red List of Threatened Species
Wikidata: Brown Recluse Spider
- Wikidata Q284352, class allow-list match (w-wdresolver-0926)
- Child Taxon Of: Araneae, Wikidata parent-taxon (P171) chain
View the SourceUNEP-WCMC Species+ database (CITES Secretariat): Species+: Araneae
UNEP-WCMC Species+ database (CITES Secretariat)Species+ taxon_concepts, id 82Quote, Species+ taxon_concepts, id 82
"cites_listing":"II/III/NC","eu_listing":"B/C/NC","higher_taxa":{"kingdom":"Animalia","phylum":"Arthropoda","class":"Arachnida","order":"Araneae","family":null},"synonyms":[],"common_names":[{"name":"蛛形目","language":"ZH"}],"cites_listings":[]
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