Florida Brown Recluse
Believe it or not, there is no abundance of the Florida Brown Recluse, despite what many would have you believe. Three species of Recluse reside in Florida, The Mediterranean Recluse, The Chilean Recluse, and the Brown Recluse.
No breeding populations of these species reside in any Florida county in a natural habitat. A few verified specimens have though, but these have been in buildings or vehicles (around 20 in the past 100 years or so).
Over the years, FPC received about half a dozen recluse spiders to ID. Yes, they were all recluses, but not a Florida Brown Recluse. They were the Mediterranean Recluse.
The size of the brown recluse spider may vary, however, the average size of an adult with its legs extended is about the size of a quarter. Their most prominent characteristic is the violin-shaped mark on the back of the head. However, there are other spiders with similar markings such as the male southern house spider. The brown recluse has six (6) eyes (three sets of two) while most other spiders have eight (8), arranged in various ways depending on species.
The natural range of the brown recluse is the central Midwestern states. It extends as far north as Nebraska and East to Ohio. The southern boundaries are primarily Texas east to Northwest Georgia.
In conclusion, not all so-called “brown recluse spider bites” are indeed brown recluse spider bites! In order for a physician to give accurate diagnoses, wouldn’t a specimen culture take from the wound determine more accurately the source of the necrotic infection? This is a question one should ask their physician if a brown recluse spider bite is suspected.