How are brown recluse spiders identified?
Color: light brown. Size: body is typically about 1/2 inch long. Legs are relatively long. The complete size, including the legs, is about the diameter of a quarter coin or a little bigger. Eyes: three pairs of eyes, one in the center and one pair to each side. Of course, if you are close enough to see the eye arrangement, hopefully the spider is either dead or inside a jar. Marking: Brown recluse are often called violin spiders because of the violin marking on the cephalothorax (front body region). The base of violin covers the eyes and the body of the violin extends to the middle of the cephalothorax. The neck of the violin extends from there to the back of the cephalothorax. Caution! Some other spiders have what appears to be a violin shaped marking. Also, some brown recluse spiders, especially young ones, may not have the violin shaped marking.
