The Brown recluse spider

Native to the U.S.A., it has also been introduced into Australia.

Females measure around 10 mm in body and 2 to 3 cm in wingspan. It is uniformly light to dark brown, depending on the period between molts. The cephalothorax has a darker patch from the eye area to the thoracic stripe. A dark heart spot is present on the abdomen. The male measures 7-8 mm with a wingspan of 2 to 3 cm. It is lighter than the female, and has proportionally longer legs.

Moderately fast. Not very aggressive, but its venom makes it one of the most dangerous araneomorphs in the world. In fact, loxoscelism is a necrotizing araneism, generally limited to the area of the bite. Death does not usually occur in adults, except in rare cases where a hemolytic jaundice syndrome, high fever, nephropathy and encephalopathy are added (Goyffon and Heurtault, 1995). L. reclusa (as well as virtually all Loxosceles species) is an araneomorph that is strongly discouraged for beginners for several reasons: the high toxicity of its venom, its great resistance to extreme conditions, which means it can live and reproduce in our homes, and lastly, the spider's lifestyle and colors, which make it not a particularly interesting species to breed.