For those living in spider infested areas, the first thing that comes to mind when we see a spider is, â€œIt’s gonna kill me!â€ The reality is that most spiders can’t kill you. One of the common venomous spiders around is the brown recluse. This spider is easily confused with the wolf spider, but we are here today to make sure you know just what kind of pest you’re dealing with.
Their Basic Stuff
These spiders differ substantially in size and color. Measuring from ½ an inch to 2 inches in length, the wolf spider is much larger and more robust than the brown recluse which measures from a ¼ to ¾ of an inch. The wolf spider is also a darker shade of brown and gray, with tan and a mixture of colors and markings, while the brown recluse is one solid color either a light brown or tan. The legs will sometimes be a little lighter than the body, but in general the same color.
Brown recluse spiders are some of the few species to have only six eyes, seeing as the wolf spider has eight. The brown recluse has 3 pairs arranged laterally and the wolf spider has 3 rows of eyes in the center of its head. Shining a flashlight on the eyes of a wolf spider will cause a glow, which is a great identifying trait. This trait is a quick go to for identify the arachnids.
The Dark Mark
Their main physical difference is the violin shape on the brown recluse’s cephalothorax. Both these spiders are made of two principle body parts. The cephalothorax is the head part where the legs actually extend out from. The abdomen is the bottom â€œbuttâ€ part. The brown recluse has the violin marking on its cephalothorax and the wolf spider has random lines and marks on its abdomen, causing easy confusion with the spiders’ marks.
Other Fun Facts Between Friends
Using its great eyesight the wolf spider is a good and agile hunter. The brown recluse uses webs to hunt. They both like to hide out in garages, basements, and other dark and dry places. Neither of these guys are aggressive, but in contrast both are shy and will only bite if disturbed. Another tip for easy detection of a wolf spider is to check out its back carefully. Wolf spiders carry their spiderlings on their backs until the little guys are ready to hit the big world on their own.
While the wolf spider may be scary looking, it is definitely not as dangerous as the brown recluse. The brown recluse has an extremely poisonous bite and has been known to cause severe reactions in people. So if you’ve identified a brown recluse keep your distance and an eye on it. If either of these two species of crawlers is too much for you too handle be sure to call the spider control guys at Bulwark Exterminating.
Brown Recluse vs Wolf Spider
|¼ to ¾ inches||½ to 2 inches|
|6 eyes||8 eyes|
|Uniform brown color||Various tan, brown, gray colors|
|Smaller, thinner||Large, robust|
|Poisonous bite; may be severe||Bite is non-threatening, may cause slight reaction|
|Has violin-shaped mark on cephalothorax||Spiderlings commonly on back (abdomen)|
|Builds webs for prey||Hunts for prey without webs|
|Found from central Texas to Georgia, and Nebraska to Indiana, including Kentucky and Ohio.||Everywhere except the North Pole Area including most of Greenland, Northern Russia, and North Alaska.|
Guide To Identifying A Brown Recluse Spider