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Spider Photos -
Brown & Desert Recluse Spiders

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BROWN RECLUSE SPIDERS

The brown recluse spider spins a loose, irregular web of very sticky, off-white to grayish threads. This web serves as the spider's daytime retreat, and it often is constructed in an undisturbed corner. This spider roams at night searching for insect prey. Recent research  indicates that the brown recluse spider is largely a scavenger, preferring dead insects. Mature males also roam in search of females. Brown recluse spiders generally occupy dark, undisturbed sites, and they can occur indoors or outdoors. In favourable habitats, their populations are usually dense. They thrive in human-altered environments. Indoors, they may be found in attics, basements, crawl spaces, cellars, closets, and ductwork or registers. They may seek shelter in storage boxes, shoes, clothing, folded linens, and behind furniture. They also may be found in outbuildings such as barns, storage sheds, and garages. Outdoors, brown recluse spiders may be found underneath logs, loose stones in rock piles, and stacks of lumber. The brown recluse spider is not aggressive, and it normally bites only when crushed, handled or disturbed. Some people have been bitten in bed after inadvertently rolling over onto the spider. Others have been bitten after accidentally touching the spider when cleaning storage areas. Some bites occur when people put on seldom used clothing or shoes inhabited by a brown recluse. (Ohio State University Fact Sheet)

27 July, 2008:
Hi Glen, I live in Knoxville Tennessee and my roommate was recently bit by a spider that was inside a pair of pants hanging in the closet. It turned into a fairly large and nasty bite that she eventually sought medical attention for. Since then I have been paying close attention to spiders around the house. I just caught this one tonight and snapped some pictures. I’m fairly certain it is a Brown Recluse but I was hoping you could verify that for me. Feel free to use these pictures in any way you need. Thanks, Dan

Click for a larger view.

8 June, 2008:
Hi Glen! You have an awesome site. I've been lost for days now looking at all the amazing spider photos available. I wanted to send you this up-close photo of a Brown Recluse spider I took last month in Oklahoma. You can see the hair on it's legs! Keep up the great work, Neil

Click for a larger view.

Reply: It could be a brown recluse, it has the violin shape on its cephalothorax.

12 January, 2008:
Can you please tell me if you think this is a brown recluse and if not, what it is? We live in Texas and just turned our house upside down (boxes, furniture, etc...) having new carpet installed after 30 years. I have seen several of these guys lately since then and it is really concerning to me. I have a two year old daughter and I am scared to death she will be bitten. Is this a brown recluse? If not, what it is? Dangerous or not? The actual spider is quite small, about the size of a nickel with leg span and all. I certainly appreciate any help you can give me. Sincerely, Carlotta

Click for a larger view.

2 November, 2007:
Dear Glen, My son and I have enjoyed looking at the pictures you have.  Today I had an unwanted visitor land on my shoulder, fortunately no bites.  I managed to brush him off and snap a few pictures of him, I thought I would share them with you.  Thanks for the wonderful website. Sincerely, Jennifer, Stockton, KS

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26 February, 2007:
But Hey I caught one, And I am looking at a fiddleback here. Its just that the abdomin is tiny not like in the pictures I see, the thorax is correct with the base of the fiddle starting at the head and the neck facing towards the back end. But I figured it would be larger here. I am taking pictures, Still havent got one that is very clear to show u, its hard with this 4.0 mp camera. So here are some attached photos. You give me your wisdom. Its off to the Managers office with this guy in the morning, if its truly a fiddleback. Thanks so much for your help. Kristi in Nashville TN

Click for a larger view

Reply: It looks like a recluse to me.

21 September, 2006:
I found this spider in my basement and thought that it might be a brown recluse. What do you think? Use the pic if you like. Eric Tiemann - St. Louis Missouri

Reply: Certainly looks like a recluse to me.

17 June, 2006:
Hi, great site! I find these in my home all the time. They look like brown recluse, but many have said that the recluse is often mistaken. Can you confirm what this is? Thanks!
BTW, I live in Memphis, TN. And, feel free to share the pic.
- Ben
 

17 February, 2006:
Our house is loaded with them. I'm going to get an exterminator out here and if they can't get 'em all but stopped then I'll consider strongly......moving from the house. We have a baby crawling around and that's just a bit too scary. We see them all too often. Hope you like the photos. If you need more I can get 'em anytime and can get some better ones if you like. blessings, Ken
Click for a larger view.

8 November, 2005:
This is a 6 x 8 inch monitor trap full of Brown Recluse Spiders. There were 14 more of these traps that we removed from a home in Jackson Tennessee. Thanks for a great site!
Ray Phillips
Associate Certified Entomologist
Corporate Residential Pest Control Manager
Cook's Pest Control, Inc.
Office (256) 340-2507 Ext. 166
Cell (256) 227-5998
Fax (256) 340-2531
rayp@cookspest.com

23 October, 2005:
I have a few more good pictures of a brown recluse in you want/need any. We have been over run with them in our shed and garage. Thankfully we have only found one in the house. We are in southern TN.

Kimberly~

18 July, 2005:
hey nice site ,thought you might like to putt these pics of a brown recluse i found onyour site, my gf had stepped on it in the shower and didnt sqaush it but it was drenched so we thought it was dead we took pics of it and then we put it in a jar the next day it was alive and running around crazy i tell ya! any way enjoy the pics!
-russ
Click for a larger view.

Could John please email me, as someone wants to use his photos for another web page? Thanks, glen

21 June, 2005:
This is a recluse from northwest Alabama. They emerge at night, and hunt along the floor. Feel free to use the photo if you can.

John S. Williams

Great photo, click for a larger view!!

28 December, 2004:
Dear Sir or Madam, I was wondering if your could help me. My family and I live in Bahrain and I have come across this spider many times. I have a feeling it is a brown recluse spider as it behaves very much like one. I find them constantly in the laundry hamper. Can you help me identify this spider as we have a small child in the house and I am very scared of her being bitten by one. I would appreciate any assistance you could give. Kind regards, Mrs. Reboni

14 October, 2004:  
Brown Recluse from Rogers, Arkansas
I found this one in one of my kids toys. In fact the same toy car that I found the Black Widow in which you posted a few months ago. Goes to show that if you keep toys outside it might be good to shake it a bit before letting the kids play.

Craig Richardson
Rogers Arkansas

29 July, 2004:
Here’s a cool photo I took of a mature male brown recluse last month while visiting my parents in St. Louis, Missouri. I discovered they had a brown recluse infestation. No bites yet (and we hope it stays that way) and so far 25 have been caught. The biggest had a body about 0.75 inches long and leg span of over 2 inches. This guy’s body was about 0.50” long. Feel free to post the photo to help folks identify a brown recluse.
Tom Sovar

30 September, 2003:
Brown Recluse found in Fayetteville Arkansas. It was missing a couple legs but still very active and fast. Must of lost a fight with a praying mantis or another spider. Feel free to use this picture.

DESERT RECLUSE SPIDERS

24 June 2008:
Hi Again, Here's a photo of another desert brown we found in the old house just before we completely vacated. Kinda freaked my husband out, because it was on the wall in the living room, and it was pretty dark in there, considering most of our lamps had been moved already! This guy was about the biggest one we've found so far. Sorry if the photo's not the best, but we trapped it in a plastic container with a quarter (US $.25 for anyone viewing the site that is unfamiliar with US currency.) to show his size. Hope you enjoy! Freemans, Tucson AZ. Ps, I'm also resending our April 2nd guy, because I still don't see him on your site, and I'm not sure if you lost him or just decided not to send. He's sitting on a greeting card! "Greetings!!"

24 May, 2008:
IHi Glen! We're still in the process of moving out of the "bug house," and are still finding interesting creatures. Here's yet another desert brown spider that we found in my son's bedroom. Not the best photo, as it is evening, and the flash was doing strange things with the lighting outside. And the poor guy looks pretty bad, kinda emaciated, pale in color, and was starting to curl his legs all up once we got him outside. Usually we're over 100 degrees F this time of year, but for some reason had a strange winter-ish storm move through the last couple days, and our high wasn't even 70 today! The spider hit that cold concrete, slowed way down, and started curling his legs all up. Didn't like the cold, I guess! You can add this one to our other brown photos in the desert brown recluse section of your website, if you'd like! :) Have a great day! The Freemans, Tucson AZ USA

28 April, 2008:
Yesterday I caught this spider running across my living room floor and found your website while looking online to try to identify it. It looks very similar to some of the brown or desert recluse pictures I saw, but I can't be sure because I couldn't make out a distinct violin shape on its back. I thought maybe this spider was still young, or maybe the violin shape is less prominent on the desert recluse. It was a light tan color with the abdomen being darker and a leg span of well over 1 inch. I'm in Southern New Mexico, about 40 miles north of the Mexico border. I'm sending you top and bottom view pictures. Thanks, Lux

Reply: It could be, it has a small violin shape on its cephalothorax. The abdomen is not as dark as in most fo the photos I've seen. Have you checked that you live in an area where they are found?

26 February, 2007:
Is this a brown recluse? I keep seeing them in my home!
Thks,
Maura

13 October, 2006:
Hello Glen. I have been checking out your site for a few years now and just love it. I wanted to send you some pictures of what I believe is a desert recluse because I have yet to see a picture of a desert recluse anywhere on the inet and thought you might like to use it. I will also be posting the pictures on my own site so I hope that is ok. I live on the western edge of the Mojave desert in Southern California and have many of these spiders in and around my home. I have found that they are a very docile species. In fact, the spider in these pictures didnt even attempt to bite at the piece of grass I used to move him about. It made me feel quite guilty for killing it later but kill it I must because I do not want it coming back into my house. The spider in these picture is mid-sized for the species out here. I have seen a few that were much larger than this one and much deeper red in color. Can you tell me if spiders shed their skins? I believe that the two "dead spiders" in one of the photos are actually skins of either the one spider in the photo or of the other spider in the box that was dead or both. I have read that these spiders are indeed medically significant and can cause necrotic wounds. If bitten, one should try to capture the spider and seek medical attention right away. Please feel free to post these pictures on your site if you want to. Thank you  

Erin McGuire