Male brown recluse spider 
can be identified by bushy 
palps and sma!l abdomen. 
Female brown recluse 
spider has thin palps and 
large abdomen. The fiddle- 
shaped dark area on its 
back is characteristic of 
this species. 
Description 
The mature brown recluse spider, also called the 
“brown spider” or “fiddleback spider,” has a body 
: about 3/8-inch long and 3/16-inch wide. Its legspan 
a is about the size of a half-dollar. 
: The color of the spider varies from gray brown to 
deep red brown. (See cover photograph.) 
The most noticeable mark on the brown recluse 
FE CE 
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