Brown recluse spider
The Brown Recluse Spider belongs to a group of spiders known as the «recluse spiders». Eleven different species are native to the United States, most are found in the central and Midwestern parts of the country. The spider is also referred to as the violin spider or fiddleback spider due to a marking on its back. Its Latin name is Loxosceles Reclusa.
Appearance
Loxosceles reclusa have six eyes arranged in pairs. The abdomen is uniformly colored, and ranges from light brown to dark brown. The abdomen and the thin long legs are covered with numerous fine hairs. Spiderlings of the brown recluse spider can be distinguished from adults by their coloring, which is often lighter.
Habitat
The name reclusa refers to its habits. It is a solitary creature that seeks and prefers loneliness in shelters and small crevices. 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.
Brown recluse spiders generally occupy dark, undisturbed sites, and they can occur indoors or outdoors. In favorable habitats, their populations are usually dense. They thrive in human'altered environments. Males are slightly smaller than females, but males have longer legs than females.
Venom
The brown recluse spider can be one of the most venomous spiders in the world. Wounds from a brown recluse spider is severe in some cases. On the page about spider bites some examples are listed including pictures (warning - some of them aren't nice).
Brown recluse spiders in California
It should be noted that it is popular belief that there is no population of the brown recluse spider in California. This may mave changed the last couple of years. However, in California it is definitely not like in Tennessee, where the spider is very common and 15-25 percent of all spider bites are from this feared spider.
Unlike in California people from Tennessee actually bring the spider to their doctor when bitten. Somehow this never happens in California.
Life-cycle
Spiderlings hatches from eggs which was laid from May to July. Eggs are laid in an encases white silken sac. There's approximately 50 eggs in each egg sac. From the egg is produced from the brown recluse female the spiderlings emerges in 1 month. It takes one year before a spiderling can be considered adult. It takes a spider about eleven month to reach the adult stage from the time of hatching and adult brown recluse spiders often live about one to two years. Each female produces several egg sacs over a period of two ' three months.
The brown recluse spider is resistant to long periods without food. It can tolerate up to 6 months of extreme draught and scarcity of food.
The ecology of the brown recluse spider
The web of a brown recluse spider is very irregular and sticky. The web functions as a day time retreat. Since it is a very timid spider the web is often produced in undisturbed corners, near garbage etc. The brown recluse spider is a scavenger. A scavenger refers to an animal that consumes organic material which is already dead. As a scavenger the brown recluse spider serves as useful role in breaking down dead animal and or plant remains.
Effect of a bite from a brown recluse
Some people are unaffected by a bite, whereas others experience immediate or delayed effects as the venom kills the tissues (necrosis). It is not aggressive, and it only bites only when handled or disturbed. The effect of a bite depends on the amount of venom injected. Since 1956 no one has died from a bite from a brown recluse spider.
Seldom bite-victims experience reactions including restlessness, itching, fever, chills, nausea, vomiting and shock.
A small white blister usually initially rises at the bite site surrounded by a swollen area. The affected area enlarges and becomes red, and the tissue is hard to the touch for some time.
The bite of the brown recluse spider can result in a painful, deep wound that takes a long time to heal. Fatalities are, but bites are most dangerous to young children, the elderly, and those in poor physical condition. Perhaps the most dangerous part of the bite is the onset of bacterial attacks at the wound site.
If bitten seek medical attention immediately even though effective antivenin is not available.
Resources about the brown recluse spider on the internet
These sources on the internet is recommended if you want to know more about the fiddleback spider.
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