What Is a Violin Spider?

The violin spider, Loxosceles reclusa, is also known as the brown recluse spider, and depending on geographical area, it may also be called the fiddleback spider or the brown fiddler. It is a part of the family Sicariidae and formerly of the family Loxoscelidae. The violin spider has distinctive markings to warn predators and humans of its venomous bite.

Description

• The brown recluse spider is about one-quarter to three-quarters of an inch long. The distinctive marking of adult brown recluse spiders is the violin pattern on the cephalothorax. The cephalothorax is on the top of the spider near the head and where the first legs of the spider attach to the body. The markings are the reason why the brown recluse is sometimes called the violin or the fiddler spider. Young brown recluse spiders do not have these markings. The legs of these spiders lack spines and are covered with delicate hairs. The brown recluse has six eyes arranged in pairs called dyads, or pairs of two. One dyad is in front and the other two dyads are toward the sides of the cephalothorax.

Life Cycle

• Brown recluse spider egg laying occurs from May through July. The female lays about 50 eggs, and spiderlings emerge from the egg sac in about a month. The spiderlings mature into adult spiders after a year. Adult brown recluse spiders have a short life span: they live about one to two years.

Food and Predators

• Brown recluse spiders are nocturnal scavengers that prefer to eat dead insects. The natural predators of brown recluse spiders that keep these pests in check are cats, which will play with the spiders before eating them, wolf spiders, some crab spiders, wasps and "cat face" spiders. Brown recluse spiders can survive about six months without food or water.

Geographic Range

• The geographic range of the brown recluse spider is restricted to the southeastern and central United States -- from eastern Texas to western Georgia and north to southern Illinois. Spider bites are most reported in these areas. Brown recluse spiders are found in houses, schools, sheds and barns. The spiders are also found outdoors under rocks and bark.

Venom

• Brown recluse spiders are venomous but their bites are not fatal if treated early. These spiders are not aggressive and prefer to stay in their daytime retreat of grayish webs. They roam at night to scavenge and find mates. The bite from a brown recluse spider can result in a painful and deep wound. Symptoms are a small white blister at the site that enlarges to become red and create volcano lesions: holes in the flesh with gangrenous tissue. Sensitive people may experience itching, chills, nausea, vomiting or shock. The elderly, young children and those with weak immune systems are most at risk.