The brown recluse spider is one of the feared of the common occuring
poisonous spiders occurring in Tennessee.
The brown recluse, Loxosceles reclusa Gertsch and Mulaikis, a
medium-sized spider belonging to the Order Aranea(spiders) and the
Family Loxoscelidae (the brown spiders).The adult body ranges from 7mm
to 12mm in length (1/4 toinch) and 3mm to 5mm wide (1/8 to under 1/4
inch). The legsspan an area roughly the size of a quarter to a
half-dollar.The color of the brown recluse varies from a light
yel-lowish brown to a dark, reddish or chocolate brown, butmost are
light to medium brown. Their body is denselycovered by short hairs, and
the male abdomen is generallysmaller than that of the female. The
second pair of legs arelonger than the remaining pairs in both sexes.
Three pairs ofeyes are arranged in a semicircle.
Since most other spiders have eight eyes, this feature alone can
eliminate many specimens suspected of being a brown recluse spider.The
most distinguishing characteristic is the violin-shaped marking on the
carapace (the top of the body directly above the legs). Although
variable, the violin-shaped marking is usually much darker than
surrounding areas and may appear longitudinally lined. In some
individuals, the size of this violin-shaped marking may be considerably
reduced. Other spiders may have a violin-shaped marking. The
best identification feature for the brown recluse is the semi circu-lar
arrangement of the three pairs of eyes.
WARNING!
The following sequence of photos is very graphic, and illustrates one
of the worst-case scenarios resulting from a brown recluse bite"
The brown recluse spider is one of the feared of the common occuring
poisonous spiders occurring in Tennessee.
