Brown Recluse? - BugGuide.Net

Moved

Moved from Spiders.

… Lynette Schimming, 12 August, 2009 - 11:23pm

Could this be

Cheiracanthium?

… John R. Maxwell, 20 September, 2009 - 9:43am

I don't think so

A year ago I would have said yes. But since then I've found that Cheiracanthium and Clubiona can be separated by a the presense or lack of a longitudinal groove in the middle of the carapace. When the groove is lacking it's Cheiracanthium. The groove is definitely visible in this shot.

… Lynette Schimming, 20 September, 2009 - 9:59am

Not recluse.

This is not a brown recluse. It is possibly a longlegged sac spider or "prowling spider" in the family Miturgidae, but it is definitely an adult male (note modified "palps" that look like little boxing gloves; those are used in mating in males). Also, many, many medical conditions are misdiagnosed as spider bites. Lastly, the recluse spiders do not range in your area of the U.S., being confined mostly to the midwest and southern U.S. Please see the online article by Dr. Rick Vetter about other causes of necrotic lesions that are frequently attributed to brown recluse spiders.

… Eric R. Eaton, 28 June, 2009 - 8:25pm

Outside the range

Thank you so much, Eric, for your swift identification.

You are absolutely right that we do not want to blame a spider that was nowhere in the vicinity of the bite :)

I am indeed aware that we do not live within the typical range of the brown recluse. Yet as Dr. Vetter notes "recluses have a prevalence for hiding in boxes which allows them to be transported out of their range by commerce or residential relocation. "(http://dermatology.cdlib.org/DOJvol5num2/special/recluse.html).

My boyfriend's necrotic lesion was definitely caused by 5 closely spaced insect or spider bites. Perhaps Dr. Vetter's observation that "The undeserved infamy that this spider has achieved outside of its range is nothing short of mind boggling." is due to the swift and devastating effect of such bites causing a panic response, in short -- it is really scary.

Are you aware of biting insects or spiders that are local to northern New Jersey that could have caused these bites?

Thanks again for sharing your knowledge.

Nora

… Nora Wertz, 28 June, 2009 - 10:27pm