Brown Recluse Spider

Loxosceles reclusa

 

Welcome to the home page of my website about the brown recluse spider!  As you look through the different pages, you can discover everything you need to know about this fascinating organism.  The brown recluse, known by many in the United States for its horrific bite, is one of the most venomous spiders in North America.  However, there is much more to this spider than just its fangs.

This brown recluse is ready to strike. The photo is courtesy of the Department of Entomology at the University of Kentucky.

www.ca.uky.edu/entomology/entfacts/ef631.asp

 

Known in scientific terms as Loxosceles reclusa, the brown recluse is a very interesting creature.  Its common name refers to both its description and habitual instincts.  The spider is brown with a violin-shaped mark on the back of its cephalothorax region.  These spiders have also been called "fiddleback" or "violin" spiders because of it.  The "recluse" section of the common name refers to the fact that this species prefers to live in seclusion from other organisms.

A brown recluse is enjoying the sun.  This photo is the property of Lisa Brown.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/meanandpinchy/4589777011/
License Information:  http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/2.0/deed.en

 

Want to learn more about this fascinating creature? You can find an abundance of information throughout this website! Discover its classification at every level, including where it fits in the grand scheme of life.  Click here to see where and how this spider spends its days.  You could also find out a few ways this species has adapted to its niches.  The brown recluse gets its food in a very interesting manner; find out how by checking out the nutrition page!  Take a look at the reproduction page to learn more about this organism's life history and reproductive strategies.  Although this spider likes to keep to itself, it does have a few relationships and interactions with other species.  Check out this page to see which organisms the brown recluse might come across and why this is important.  The one thing the brown recluse is most known for is its venom.  Learn more about how this spider uses its venom, along with why most people stay away from these creatures, by going to the venom page.  Finally, after you have learned all you needed to about this animal, check out a few interesting facts about it that you might not have known.

The size of the brown recluse can range from half the size of a quarter to a few inches. This photo is courtesy of BrownRecluseBite.com

http://www.brown-recluse.com/spiderinfo.html

 

Why not start off by clicking here to learn about its complete classification?

Is this not the organism you were looking for?  Try going to MultipleOrganisms.net to browse through hundreds of other web pages on a variety of different animals, plants, fungi, and more!

My name is Matthew Kosch, and I am the author of this website.  I am currently a freshman at the University of Wisconsin La Crosse.  I created this website for a school project in the spring of 2013.  For more information about me, go to the about the author page.  Feel free to contact me at kosch.matt@uwlax.edu.