Safety note: Venomous bite — do not handle.
The Brown Recluse is a medium-sized, tan-to-brown spider with a distinctive violin-shaped marking on its dorsal thorax (cephalothorax) and six eyes arranged in three pairs, unlike most spiders with eight eyes. Its venom contains sphingomyelinase D, which can cause necrotic skin lesions in a minority of bites. It is shy and reclusive, hiding in dark, undisturbed areas inside and outside of structures.
Habitat
Dark undisturbed areas in buildings, basements, woodpiles, and debris
Diet
Adults: soft-bodied insects caught in irregular webs
How common
Uncommon
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