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Brown Recluse Spider Facts

Although urban myth purports that California hosts swarms of brown recluse spiders, studies have shown otherwise. Brown recluse spiders are endemic only to the American South and Midwest.  California does have another species of recluse spider, but that spider only makes up a small percent of the entire spider population.

While most bites inflicted by brown recluse spiders do require medical attention, they are rarely fatal and most heal quickly. Many conditions are mistakenly diagnosed as brown recluse spider bites, including Lyme disease, diabetic ulcers, reactions to medication and infections.

Due to misinformation and fright, many people identify harmless spiders as brown recluses. They are also referred to as fiddle-back spiders due to a distinctive marking on the thorax, which resembles a violin. Brown recluses have uniformly colored legs and abdomens; so any spider exhibiting more than one pigment on the legs or abdomen is not a brown recluse. 

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