BROWN RECLUSE SPIDER PICTURES

IDENTIFICATION:

Large Brown Recluse Spiders: about the size of a quarter, including its legs. Small ones: size of a dime. Note that the "VIOLIN" part is very difficult to see. You may need a magnifying glass. Thi photo shows a recluse in its typical resting posture -- look at the legs and how they position themselves.

It's NOT a Brown Recluse IF any of the following are true:

1) It's really BIG:
A spider's body is in two main parts. The size of the body, not including legs, of a recluse is smaller than a dime.

2) It's really HAIRY:
Brown recluses have only very fine hairs that are invisible to the naked eye.

3) It JUMPS:
Jumping spiders live up to their name, and some other spiders including wolf spiders occasionally jump, but recluses don't.

4) I found it in a WEB
Brown recluses don't spin a web to catch prey; they spin silk retreats and egg cases, but don't form a typical recognizable web.

5) It has DISTINCT MARKINGS VISIBLE TO THE NAKED EYE, such as stripes, diamonds, chevrons, spots, etc. that are easily seen.
Brown recluses have no markings on their legs or abdomen (the largest part of the spider's body). The "violin" is very small and located on the front half of the body. The violin is also indistinct in some, especially young spiders. They're really rather dull looking.

Do a comparison below!

Brown Recluse Spider Pictures >>

Other Spiders commonly mistaken for Brown Recluse Spiders >>

thanks to Dr. Ken Cramer of Monmouth College:
http://department.monm.edu/biology/recluse-project/photo-gallery.htm