The recluse spiders (''Loxosceles'' (), also known as brown spiders, fiddle-backs, violin spiders, and reapers, is a
genus
Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus com ...
of spiders that was first described by R. T. Lowe in 1832.
They are
venomous spiders known for their bite, which sometimes produces a characteristic set of symptoms known as
loxoscelism
Loxoscelism () is a condition occasionally produced by the bite of the recluse spiders (genus ''Loxosceles''). The area becomes dusky and a shallow open sore forms as the skin around the bite dies (necrosis). It is the only proven type of necro ...
.
Recluse spiders are now identified as members of the family
Sicariidae, having formerly been placed in their own family, the Loxoscelidae. Although recluse spiders are feared, they are usually not aggressive.
Relation with other spiders
Sicariidae are of the superfamily
Scytodoidea
Scytodoidea is a taxon of araneomorph spiders, at the rank of superfamily. It contains four families:
* Drymusidae
* Periegopidae
* Scytodidae
* Sicariidae
Phylogeny
The monophyly of the group has been confirmed in morphological studies. One ...
. Other families in the Scytodoidea include
Drymusidae
Drymusidae is a family of araneomorph spiders first described by Eugène Simon in 1893, and elevated to family status by Pekka T. Lehtinen in 1986.
Genera
, the World Spider Catalog accepts the following genera:
*''Drymusa
''Drymusa'' is a ...
,
Scytodidae
Spitting spiders (Scytodidae) is a family of araneomorph spiders first described by John Blackwall in 1864. It contains over 250 species in five genera, of which ''Scytodes'' is the best-known.
Description
Like recluse spiders and coneweb spi ...
, and
Periegopidae
''Periegops'' is a genus of spiders with six eyes instead of the usual eight. It is the only genus in its family (Periegopidae) and has three described species. It was long considered to be members of Sicariidae or Segestriidae until Raymond For ...
.
Habitat and appearance
![Loxosceles eye group](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/ab/Loxosceles_eye_group.svg)
''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
The violin, sometimes known as a ''fiddle'', is a wooden chordophone (string instrument) in the violin family. Most violins have a hollow wooden body. It is the smallest and thus highest-pitched instrument (soprano) in the family in regular ...
marking on the
cephalothorax
The cephalothorax, also called prosoma in some groups, is a tagma of various arthropods, comprising the head and the thorax fused together, as distinct from the abdomen behind. (The terms ''prosoma'' and ''opisthosoma'' are equivalent to ''cepha ...
. However, the "violin marking" cannot be used as a reliable way to identify the spider as many unrelated species of spider have similar markings. Recluses are typically about 7–12 mm long.
The most common and most famous species in the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
is the
brown recluse spider
The brown recluse (''Loxosceles reclusa''), Sicariidae (formerly placed in a family "Loxoscelidae") is a recluse spider with necrotic venom. Similar to those of other recluse spiders, their bites sometimes require medical attention. The brown r ...
(''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
The Chilean recluse spider, ''Loxosceles laeta'', is a highly venomous spider of the family Sicariidae. In Spanish, it (and other South American recluse spiders) is known as ', or "corner spider"; in Brazilian Portuguese, as ' or "brown spider". ...
(''L. laeta'') and the
Mediterranean recluse spider
The Mediterranean recluse spider (''Loxosceles rufescens'') is a species of spider that originated in the Mediterranean region as its name implies, but can now be found in many parts of the world and is listed as one of the most invasive spiders w ...
(''L. rufescens'').
Recently, concerns have been raised regarding recluses spreading faster due to warmer air carrying them farther as a result of changing climate. On the contrary, newly hatched recluses do not travel via
ballooning and thus the populations are confined to very tight spaces with dense populations.
Most ''Loxosceles'' can live for one and a half to two years. Many species of this genus can live for very long times without food or water. Insecticides often fail to kill the spider, instead intoxicating its nervous system and inducing erratic behavior.
Identification
This genus is very hard to identify, as they have very simple coloration and
morphology
Morphology, from the Greek and meaning "study of shape", may refer to:
Disciplines
*Morphology (archaeology), study of the shapes or forms of artifacts
*Morphology (astronomy), study of the shape of astronomical objects such as nebulae, galaxies, ...
. Many other spiders have similar dorsal markings, leading to confusion and misidentification. They can be most readily distinguished by having 6 eyes, arranged in three pairs. None of the pairs of eyes touch each other, and are arranged in a U shape. The presence of two claws per foot and a rather flat
cephalothorax
The cephalothorax, also called prosoma in some groups, is a tagma of various arthropods, comprising the head and the thorax fused together, as distinct from the abdomen behind. (The terms ''prosoma'' and ''opisthosoma'' are equivalent to ''cepha ...
further help distinguish them.
Venom components and effects
''Loxosceles'' spiders, like ''
Hexophthalma'' species, have potent
tissue-destroying venoms containing the dermonecrotic agent which is otherwise found only in a few pathogenic bacteria.
Recent research has indicated the venom is composed largely of
sulfated
nucleosides, though these compounds are relatively new discoveries, so little is known about them.
The venom of several species is capable of producing
necrotic lesion
A lesion is any damage or abnormal change in the tissue of an organism, usually caused by disease or trauma. ''Lesion'' is derived from the Latin "injury". Lesions may occur in plants as well as animals.
Types
There is no designated classifi ...
s that are slow to heal and may require
skin grafts. Rarely, the venom is carried by the
blood
Blood is a body fluid in the circulatory system of humans and other vertebrates that delivers necessary substances such as nutrients and oxygen to the cells, and transports metabolic waste products away from those same cells. Blood in the c ...
stream, causing red blood cell destruction.
The venom is identical in male and female spiders, but females can have almost twice the concentration of toxins. For unknown reasons, the toxicity of the venom to mammalian species varies; recluse bites may cause necrosis in humans, rabbits, and guinea pigs, but not in mice or rats.
The Chilean recluse (''L. laeta'') supposedly has a more potent venom, which results in systemic involvement more often. All ''Loxosceles'' species that have been tested have venoms similar to that of the brown recluse, and all should be avoided. In general, though, they are not aggressive and commonly occupy human dwellings without causing problems.
Many types of skin wounds are mistaken for or assumed to be the result of a recluse spider bite. Several diseases can mimic the lesions of the bite, including
Lyme disease
Lyme disease, also known as Lyme borreliosis, is a vector-borne disease caused by the ''Borrelia'' bacterium, which is spread by ticks in the genus ''Ixodes''. The most common sign of infection is an expanding red rash, known as erythema migran ...
, various
fungal
A fungus ( : fungi or funguses) is any member of the group of eukaryotic organisms that includes microorganisms such as yeasts and molds, as well as the more familiar mushrooms. These organisms are classified as a kingdom, separately from th ...
and
bacteria
Bacteria (; singular: bacterium) are ubiquitous, mostly free-living organisms often consisting of one biological cell. They constitute a large domain of prokaryotic microorganisms. Typically a few micrometres in length, bacteria were among ...
l infections, and the first sore of
syphilis
Syphilis () is a sexually transmitted infection caused by the bacterium ''Treponema pallidum'' subspecies ''pallidum''. The signs and symptoms of syphilis vary depending in which of the four stages it presents (primary, secondary, latent, an ...
.
It is important to associate the spider directly with the bite to avoid improper treatment, and to successfully treat common infections or other conditions if no spider was seen.
Bites most often occur as a defense when the spider is trapped against the skin, in clothing, for example.
[ The total volume of venom is minute (only 2 micrograms injected out of 4 microliters in the venom glands).]
The bite of a recluse spider can generally be categorized into one of the following groups:
* Unremarkable – self-healing minute damage
* Mild reaction – self-healing damage with itchiness, redness, patterns of aggressive behavior and a mild lesion.
* Dermonecrotic – the uncommon, "classic" recluse bite, producing a necrotic skin lesion. About 66% of necrotic bite lesions heal with no complications. In extreme cases, the lesion may be up to 40 millimeters wide, last for several months, and heal with a permanent scar.[
* Systemic or viscerocutaneous – an extremely rare, systemic reaction to envenomation of the bloodstream. It is observed more often in children.][
Most bites are unremarkable or mild.]
Species
it contains 143 species, found in Central America, the Caribbean, Oceania, Asia, Africa, North America, Europe, and South America:
*'' L. accepta'' Chamberlin, 1920 – Peru
, image_flag = Flag of Peru.svg
, image_coat = Escudo nacional del Perú.svg
, other_symbol = Great Seal of the State
, other_symbol_type = Seal (emblem), National seal
, national_motto = "Fi ...
*'' L. adelaida'' Gertsch
Willis John Gertsch (October 4, 1906 – December 12, 1998) was an American arachnologist. He described over 1,000 species of spiders, scorpions, and other arachnids, including the Brown recluse spider and the Tooth cave spider.
Gertsch was born ...
, 1967 – Brazil
Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...
*'' L. alamosa'' Gertsch & Ennik, 1983 – Mexico
Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...
*'' L. amazonica'' Gertsch, 1967 – Peru, Brazil
*'' L. anomala'' ( Mello-Leitão, 1917) – Brazil
*'' L. apachea'' Gertsch & Ennik, 1983 – USA, Mexico
*'' L. aphrasta'' Wang, 1994 – China
China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...
*'' L. aranea'' Gertsch, 1973 – Mexico
*'' L. arizonica'' Gertsch & Mulaik, 1940 – USA
*'' L. aurea'' Gertsch, 1973 – Mexico
*'' L. baja'' Gertsch & Ennik, 1983 – Mexico
*'' L. barbara'' Gertsch & Ennik, 1983 – Mexico
*'' L. belli'' Gertsch, 1973 – Mexico
*'' L. bentejui'' Planas & Ribera, 2015 – Canary Is.
*'' L. bergeri'' Strand, 1906 – Namibia
Namibia (, ), officially the Republic of Namibia, is a country in Southern Africa. Its western border is the Atlantic Ocean. It shares land borders with Zambia and Angola to the north, Botswana to the east and South Africa to the south and ea ...
*'' L. bettyae'' Gertsch, 1967 – Peru
*'' L. blancasi'' Gertsch, 1967 – Peru
*'' L. blanda'' Gertsch & Ennik, 1983 – USA
*'' L. boneti'' Gertsch, 1958 – Mexico, El Salvador
El Salvador (; , meaning " The Saviour"), officially the Republic of El Salvador ( es, República de El Salvador), is a country in Central America. It is bordered on the northeast by Honduras, on the northwest by Guatemala, and on the south b ...
*'' L. candela'' Gertsch & Ennik, 1983 – Mexico
*'' L. carabobensis'' González-Sponga, 2010 – Venezuela
Venezuela (; ), officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela ( es, link=no, República Bolivariana de Venezuela), is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many islands and islets in th ...
*'' L. cardosoi'' Bertani, von Schimonsky & Gallão, 2018 – Brazil
*'' L. caribbaea'' Gertsch, 1958 – Greater Antilles
The Greater Antilles ( es, Grandes Antillas or Antillas Mayores; french: Grandes Antilles; ht, Gwo Zantiy; jam, Grieta hAntiliiz) is a grouping of the larger islands in the Caribbean Sea, including Cuba, Hispaniola, Puerto Rico, Jamaica, and ...
*'' L. carinhanha'' Bertani, von Schimonsky & Gallão, 2018 – Brazil
*'' L. carmena'' Gertsch & Ennik, 1983 – Mexico
*'' L. cederbergensis'' Lotz, 2017 – South Africa
South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...
*'' L. chapadensis'' Bertani, Fukushima & Nagahama, 2010 – Brazil
*'' L. chinateca'' Gertsch & Ennik, 1983 – Mexico
*'' L. coheni'' Zamani, Mirshamsi & Marusik, 2021 – southwestern Iran[Alireza Zamani, Omid Mirshamsi, Yuri M Marusik. 2021. ‘Burning Violin’: The Medically Important Spider Genus ''Loxosceles'' (Araneae: Sicariidae) in Iran, Turkmenistan, and Afghanistan, With Two New Species. ''Journal of Medical Entomology'', tjaa257, https://doi.org/10.1093/jme/tjaa257, Published: 10 December 2020.]
*'' L. colima'' Gertsch, 1958 – Mexico
*'' L. conococha'' Gertsch, 1967 – Peru
*'' L. coquimbo'' Gertsch, 1967 – Chile
Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in the western part of South America. It is the southernmost country in the world, and the closest to Antarctica, occupying a long and narrow strip of land between the Andes to the east a ...
*'' L. corozalensis'' González-Sponga, 2010 – Venezuela
*'' L. coyote'' Gertsch & Ennik, 1983 – Mexico
*'' L. cubana'' Gertsch, 1958 – Cuba
Cuba ( , ), officially the Republic of Cuba ( es, República de Cuba, links=no ), is an island country comprising the island of Cuba, as well as Isla de la Juventud and several minor archipelagos. Cuba is located where the northern Caribbea ...
, Bahama Is., HIspaniola
*'' L. cubiroensis'' González-Sponga, 2010 – Venezuela
*'' L. curimaguensis'' González-Sponga, 2010 – Venezuela
*'' L. dejagerae'' Lotz, 2017 – South Africa
*'' L. deserta'' Gertsch, 1973 – USA, Mexico
*'' L. devia'' Gertsch & Mulaik, 1940 – USA, Mexico
*'' L. diaguita'' Brescovit, Taucare-Ríos, Magalhaes & Santos, 2017 – Chile
*'' L. ericsoni'' Bertani, von Schimonsky & Gallão, 2018 – Brazil
*'' L. fontainei'' Millot, 1941 – Guinea
Guinea ( ),, fuf, 𞤘𞤭𞤲𞤫, italic=no, Gine, wo, Gine, nqo, ߖߌ߬ߣߍ߫, bm, Gine officially the Republic of Guinea (french: République de Guinée), is a coastal country in West Africa. It borders the Atlantic Ocean to the we ...
*'' L. foutadjalloni'' Millot, 1941 – Guinea
*'' L. francisca'' Gertsch & Ennik, 1983 – Mexico
*'' L. frizzelli'' Gertsch, 1967 – Peru
*'' L. gaucho'' Gertsch, 1967 – Brazil. Introduced to Tunisia
*'' L. gloria'' Gertsch, 1967 – Ecuador
Ecuador ( ; ; Quechua: ''Ikwayur''; Shuar: ''Ecuador'' or ''Ekuatur''), officially the Republic of Ecuador ( es, República del Ecuador, which literally translates as "Republic of the Equator"; Quechua: ''Ikwadur Ripuwlika''; Shuar: ''Eku ...
, Peru
*'' L. griffinae'' Lotz, 2017 – Namibia
*'' L. guajira'' Cala-Riquelme, Gutiérrez-Estrada & Flórez, 2015 – Colombia
Colombia (, ; ), officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country in South America with insular regions in North America—near Nicaragua's Caribbean coast—as well as in the Pacific Ocean. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Car ...
*'' L. guatemala'' Gertsch, 1973 – Guatemala
Guatemala ( ; ), officially the Republic of Guatemala ( es, República de Guatemala, links=no), is a country in Central America. It is bordered to the north and west by Mexico; to the northeast by Belize and the Caribbean; to the east by H ...
*'' L. guayota'' Planas & Ribera, 2015 – Canary Is.
*'' L. haddadi'' Lotz, 2017 – South Africa
*'' L. harrietae'' Gertsch, 1967 – Peru
*'' L. herreri'' Gertsch, 1967 – Peru
*'' L. hirsuta'' Mello-Leitão, 1931 – Brazil, Paraguay
Paraguay (; ), officially the Republic of Paraguay ( es, República del Paraguay, links=no; gn, Tavakuairetã Paraguái, links=si), is a landlocked country in South America. It is bordered by Argentina to the south and southwest, Brazil to th ...
, Argentina
Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...
*'' L. huasteca'' Gertsch & Ennik, 1983 – Mexico
*'' L. hupalupa'' Planas & Ribera, 2015 – Canary Is.
*'' L. imazighen'' Ribera & Massa, 2021 - Morocco
*'' L. immodesta'' (Mello-Leitão, 1917) – Brazil
*'' L. inca'' Gertsch, 1967 – Peru
*'' L. insula'' Gertsch & Ennik, 1983 – Mexico
*'' L. intermedia'' Mello-Leitão, 1934 – Brazil, Argentina
*'' L. irishi'' Lotz, 2017 – Namibia
*'' L. jaca'' Gertsch & Ennik, 1983 – Mexico
*'' L. jamaica'' Gertsch & Ennik, 1983 – Jamaica
Jamaica (; ) is an island country situated in the Caribbean Sea. Spanning in area, it is the third-largest island of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean (after Cuba and Hispaniola). Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, and west of His ...
*'' L. jarmila'' Gertsch & Ennik, 1983 – Jamaica
*'' L. julia'' Gertsch, 1967 – Peru
*'' L. kaiba'' Gertsch & Ennik, 1983 – USA
*'' L. karstica'' Bertani, von Schimonsky & Gallão, 2018 – Brazil
*'' L. lacroixi'' Millot, 1941 – Ivory Coast
*'' L. lacta'' Wang, 1994 – China
*'' L. laeta'' (Nicolet, 1849) – South America. Introduced to USA, Finland
Finland ( fi, Suomi ; sv, Finland ), officially the Republic of Finland (; ), is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It shares land borders with Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of B ...
, Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...
*'' L. lawrencei'' Caporiacco, 1955 – Venezuela, Trinidad
Trinidad is the larger and more populous of the two major islands of Trinidad and Tobago. The island lies off the northeastern coast of Venezuela and sits on the continental shelf of South America. It is often referred to as the southernmos ...
, Curaçao
Curaçao ( ; ; pap, Kòrsou, ), officially the Country of Curaçao ( nl, Land Curaçao; pap, Pais Kòrsou), is a Lesser Antilles island country in the southern Caribbean Sea and the Dutch Caribbean region, about north of the Venezuela coast ...
*'' L. lutea'' Keyserling, 1877 – Colombia, Ecuador
*'' L. luteola'' Gertsch, 1973 – Mexico
*'' L. mahan'' Planas & Ribera, 2015 – Canary Is.
*'' L. maisi'' Sánchez-Ruiz & Brescovit, 2013 – Cuba
*'' L. makapanensis'' Lotz, 2017 – South Africa
*'' L. malintzi'' Valdez-Mondragón, Cortez-Roldán, Juárez-Sánchez & Solís-Catalán, 2018 – Mexico
*'' L. manuela'' Gertsch & Ennik, 1983 – Mexico
*'' L. maraisi'' Lotz, 2017 – Namibia
*'' L. martha'' Gertsch & Ennik, 1983 – USA
*'' L. meruensis'' Tullgren, 1910 – Ethiopia
Ethiopia, , om, Itiyoophiyaa, so, Itoobiya, ti, ኢትዮጵያ, Ítiyop'iya, aa, Itiyoppiya officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a landlocked country in the Horn of Africa. It shares borders with Eritrea to the ...
, Kenya
)
, national_anthem = "Ee Mungu Nguvu Yetu"()
, image_map =
, map_caption =
, image_map2 =
, capital = Nairobi
, coordinates =
, largest_city = Nairobi
, ...
, Tanzania
Tanzania (; ), officially the United Republic of Tanzania ( sw, Jamhuri ya Muungano wa Tanzania), is a country in East Africa within the African Great Lakes region. It borders Uganda to the north; Kenya to the northeast; Comoro Islands and ...
*'' L. misteca'' Gertsch, 1958 – Mexico
*'' L. mogote'' Sánchez-Ruiz & Brescovit, 2013 – Cuba
*'' L. mrazig'' Ribera & Planas, 2009 – Tunisia
)
, image_map = Tunisia location (orthographic projection).svg
, map_caption = Location of Tunisia in northern Africa
, image_map2 =
, capital = Tunis
, largest_city = capital
, ...
*'' L. mulege'' Gertsch & Ennik, 1983 – Mexico
*'' L. muriciensis'' Fukushima, de Andrade & Bertani, 2017 – Brazil
*'' L. nahuana'' Gertsch, 1958 – Mexico
*'' L. neuvillei'' Simon, 1909 – Ethiopia, Somalia
Somalia, , Osmanya script: 𐒈𐒝𐒑𐒛𐒐𐒘𐒕𐒖; ar, الصومال, aṣ-Ṣūmāl officially the Federal Republic of SomaliaThe ''Federal Republic of Somalia'' is the country's name per Article 1 of thProvisional Constituti ...
, East Africa
East Africa, Eastern Africa, or East of Africa, is the eastern subregion of the African continent. In the United Nations Statistics Division scheme of geographic regions, 10-11-(16*) territories make up Eastern Africa:
Due to the historical ...
*'' L. niedeguidonae'' de Andrade, Bertani, Nagahama & Barbosa, 2012 – Brazil
*'' L. olivaresi'' González-Sponga, 2010 – Venezuela
*'' L. olmea'' Gertsch, 1967 – Peru
*'' L. pallalla'' Brescovit, Taucare-Ríos, Magalhaes & Santos, 2017 – Chile
*'' L. palma'' Gertsch & Ennik, 1983 – USA, Mexico
*'' L. panama'' Gertsch, 1958 – Panama
Panama ( , ; es, link=no, Panamá ), officially the Republic of Panama ( es, República de Panamá), is a transcontinental country spanning the southern part of North America and the northern part of South America. It is bordered by Cos ...
*'' L. parramae'' Newlands, 1981 – South Africa
*'' L. persica'' Ribera & Zamani, 2017 – Iran
Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...
*'' L. pilosa'' Purcell, 1908 – Namibia, South Africa
*'' L. piura'' Gertsch, 1967 – Peru
*'' L. pucara'' Gertsch, 1967 – Peru
*'' L. puortoi'' Martins, Knysak & Bertani, 2002 – Brazil
*'' L. reclusa'' Gertsch & Mulaik, 1940 – North America
North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and the Car ...
*'' L. rica'' Gertsch & Ennik, 1983 – Costa Rica
Costa Rica (, ; ; literally "Rich Coast"), officially the Republic of Costa Rica ( es, República de Costa Rica), is a country in the Central American region of North America, bordered by Nicaragua to the north, the Caribbean Sea to the no ...
*'' L. rosana'' Gertsch, 1967 – Peru
*'' L. rothi'' Gertsch & Ennik, 1983 – Mexico
*'' L. rufescens'' (Dufour, 1820) ( type) – Southern Europe
Southern Europe is the southern regions of Europe, region of Europe. It is also known as Mediterranean Europe, as its geography is essentially marked by the Mediterranean Sea. Definitions of Southern Europe include some or all of these countrie ...
, northern Africa to Iran. Introduced to USA, Mexico, Macaronesia, South Africa, India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
, China, Japan
Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...
, Korea
Korea ( ko, 한국, or , ) is a peninsular region in East Asia. Since 1945, it has been divided at or near the 38th parallel, with North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) comprising its northern half and South Korea (Republic o ...
, Laos
Laos (, ''Lāo'' )), officially the Lao People's Democratic Republic ( Lao: ສາທາລະນະລັດ ປະຊາທິປະໄຕ ປະຊາຊົນລາວ, French: République démocratique populaire lao), is a socialist ...
, Thailand
Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is bo ...
, Australia, Hawaii
Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii or ) is a state in the Western United States, located in the Pacific Ocean about from the U.S. mainland. It is the only U.S. state outside North America, the only state that is an archipelago, and the only stat ...
*'' L. rufipes'' (Lucas, 1834) – Guatemala, Panama, Colombia. Introduced to West Africa
*'' L. russelli'' Gertsch & Ennik, 1983 – USA
*'' L. sabina'' Gertsch & Ennik, 1983 – USA
*'' L. sansebastianensis'' González-Sponga, 2010 – Venezuela
*'' L. seri'' Gertsch & Ennik, 1983 – Mexico
*'' L. similis'' Moenkhaus, 1898 – Brazil
*'' L. simillima'' Lawrence, 1927 – Southern Africa
*'' L. smithi'' Simon, 1897 – Ethiopia, Malawi
Malawi (; or aláwi Tumbuka: ''Malaŵi''), officially the Republic of Malawi, is a landlocked country in Southeastern Africa that was formerly known as Nyasaland. It is bordered by Zambia to the west, Tanzania to the north and northeast ...
, Kenya, Tanzania
*'' L. sonora'' Gertsch & Ennik, 1983 – Mexico
*'' L. spadicea'' Simon, 1907 – Peru, Bolivia
, image_flag = Bandera de Bolivia (Estado).svg
, flag_alt = Horizontal tricolor (red, yellow, and green from top to bottom) with the coat of arms of Bolivia in the center
, flag_alt2 = 7 × 7 square p ...
, Argentina
*'' L. speluncarum'' Simon, 1893 – South Africa
*'' L. spinulosa'' Purcell, 1904 – South Africa
*'' L. surca'' Gertsch, 1967 – Peru, Chile
*'' L. taeniopalpis'' Simon, 1907 – Ecuador
*'' L. taino'' Gertsch & Ennik, 1983 – Bahama Is., Jamaica, Hispaniola
*'' L. tazarte'' Planas & Ribera, 2015 – Canary Is.
*'' L. tehuana'' Gertsch, 1958 – Mexico
*'' L. tenango'' Gertsch, 1973 – Mexico
*'' L. tenochtitlan'' Valdez-Mondragón, 2019 – Mexico
*'' L. teresa'' Gertsch & Ennik, 1983 – Mexico
*'' L. tibicena'' Planas & Ribera, 2015 – Canary Is.
*'' L. tlacolula'' Gertsch & Ennik, 1983 – Mexico
*'' L. tolantongo'' Navarro-Rodríguez & Valdez-Mondragón, 2020 - Mexico
*'' L. troglobia'' Souza & Ferreira, 2018 – Brazil
*'' L. turanensis'' Zamani et al., 2020 – southern Turkmenistan and eastern Iran
*'' L. valdosa'' Gertsch, 1973 – Mexico
*'' L. vallenar'' Brescovit, Taucare-Ríos, Magalhaes & Santos, 2017 – Chile
*'' L. variegata'' Simon, 1897 – Paraguay
*'' L. vicentei'' Taucare-Ríos, Brescovit & Villablanca, 2022 - Chile
*'' L. virgo'' Gertsch & Ennik, 1983 – Virgin Is.
*'' L. vonwredei'' Newlands, 1980 – Namibia
*'' L. weyrauchi'' Gertsch, 1967 – Peru
*'' L. willianilsoni'' Fukushima, de Andrade & Bertani, 2017 – Brazil
*'' L. yucatana'' Chamberlin & Ivie
Ivie is a given name and surname. Notable people with the name include:
Given name
*Ivie Anderson (1904–1949), American jazz singer
*Ivie Okujaye (born 1987), Nigerian actress and television producer
*Ivie Richardson (1895–1960), South Africa ...
, 1938 – Mexico, Belize
Belize (; bzj, Bileez) is a Caribbean and Central American country on the northeastern coast of Central America. It is bordered by Mexico to the north, the Caribbean Sea to the east, and Guatemala to the west and south. It also shares a wate ...
, Guatemala
*'' L. zapoteca'' Gertsch, 1958 – Mexico
See also
* List of Sicariidae species
This page lists all described species of the spider family Sicariidae accepted by the World Spider Catalog :
''Hexophthalma''
''Hexophthalma'' Karsch, 1879
* '' H. albospinosa'' (Purcell, 1908) — Namibia, South Africa
* '' H. binfordae'' Lotz ...
* Spider families
Spider taxonomy is that part of taxonomy that is concerned with the science of naming, defining and classifying all spiders, members of the Araneae order of the arthropod class Arachnida with more than 48,500 described species. However, there are ...
* List of spiders associated with cutaneous reactions
A spider bite, also known as arachnidism, is an injury resulting from the bite of a spider. The effects of most bites are not serious. Most bites result in mild symptoms around the area of the bite. Rarely they may produce a necrotic skin wound ...
* Chilean recluse
The Chilean recluse spider, ''Loxosceles laeta'', is a highly venomous spider of the family Sicariidae. In Spanish, it (and other South American recluse spiders) is known as ', or "corner spider"; in Brazilian Portuguese, as ' or "brown spider". ...
References
External links
Arachnology Home Pages: ''Loxosceles'': Recluse spiders
* ttp://spiders.ucr.edu/myth.html Vetter, R. 2003. "Myth of the Brown Recluse: Fact, Fear, and Loathing".
Pictures of ''L. reclusa'' and wound
(free for noncommercial use)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Recluse Spider
Loxosceles
Spiders of Africa
Spiders of Asia
Spiders of North America
Spiders of South America
de:Sicariidae