Species Loxosceles rufescens - Mediterranean Recluse

Classification · Synonyms and other taxonomic changes · Explanation of Names · Range · Remarks · Internet References

Florida Loxosceles - Loxosceles rufescens - female

Mediterranean Recluse - Loxosceles rufescens - female

Specimen collected as part of the Florida Brown Recluse Project out of the University of South Florida Research Lab 108 - Loxosceles rufescens - male

Specimen collected as part of the Florida Brown Recluse Project out of the University of South Florida Research Lab 108 - Loxosceles rufescens - female

Classification

Kingdom Animalia (Animals)

Phylum Arthropoda (Arthropods)

Subphylum Chelicerata (Chelicerates)

Class Arachnida (Arachnids)

Order Araneae (Spiders)

Infraorder Araneomorphae (True Spiders)

No Taxon (Synspermiata)

Family Sicariidae

Genus Loxosceles (Brown Spiders)

Species rufescens (Mediterranean Recluse)

Synonyms and other taxonomic changes

See the World Spider Catalog.

Explanation of Names

Author of the name: Dufour. Year first published: 1820.

Range

Northeastern United States (1)

Remarks

An introduced species. The bites of these spiders do not produce the severe reactions typically associated with the brown recluse spider. (1)

"Loxosceles rufescens apparently has not been associated with cases of human loxoscelism, but in experiments done on mice and rabbits, the venom of L. rufescens has been found to have effects similar to those of Loxosceles reclusa (Smith and Micks, 1968; Shulov et al., 1962)" (2)

Internet References

(1) http://ento.psu.edu - Fact sheet on recluse spiders.

(2) bk.osu.edu - LOXOSCELES RUFESCENS FOUND IN COLUMBUS, OHIO.

~ www.marion.ohio-state.edu - Comparison image.

~ L. rufescens in Washington DC (Greene, et al, 2009)

~ Wikipedia

Contributed by Lynette Elliott on 30 October, 2009 - 9:57pm
Additional contributions by Beatriz Moisset, cheins, jsloan
Last updated 7 July, 2015 - 10:28am

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