Recluse spider

Recluse spider
Loxosceles gaucho, Brazil
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Arachnida
Order:	Araneae
Family:	Sicariidae
Genus:	Loxosceles Heineken & Lowe, 1832
Species
see article
Diversity
100 species

see article

The recluse spiders or brown spiders, genus Loxosceles (/ˌlɒkˈsɒsᵻliz/), also known as fiddle-backs, violin spiders, or reapers, are a genus of venomous spiders known for their bite, which sometimes produces a characteristic set of symptoms known as loxoscelism. Recluse spiders are now identified as members of the family Sicariidae, having formerly been placed in their own family, the Loxoscelidae.

Sicariidae are of the superfamily Scytodoidea. Other families in the Scytodoidea include Drymusidae, Scytodidae, and Periegopidae.

Loxosceles is distributed nearly worldwide in warmer areas. All have six eyes arranged in three groups of two (dyads) and some are brownish with a darker brown characteristic violin marking on the cephalothorax. However, the "violin marking" cannot be used as a reliable way to identify the spider as thousands of species of spider have similar markings. Spiders come with many markings varying greatly within the same species. Most Loxosceles can live for one and a half to two years. Members of both genera can live for very long times without food or water. They are about 7–12 mm long.

Familiar species in the United States include the brown recluse spider (Loxosceles reclusa). It is found in a large area of the Midwest, west to Colorado and the New Mexico state line and east to northern Georgia. Sporadic records from other locations only represent incidental introductions, not established populations. The brown recluse feeds on whatever small prey is available, and has been observed to prefer scavenging over actively hunting. Other notable members of this genus include the Chilean recluse spider (L. laeta) and the Mediterranean recluse spider (L. rufescens).

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Wikipedia