{
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@type": "Taxon",
  "slug": "brown-recluse-spider",
  "name": "Brown Recluse Spider",
  "scientificName": "Loxosceles reclusa",
  "category": "Invertebrate",
  "summary": "The brown recluse is a small venomous spider named for a violin-shaped mark on its cephalothorax and its shy, reclusive habits. Found mainly in the central and southern United States, it bites rarely but can cause necrotic skin lesions. Adults are 6–20 mm long and listed Not Evaluated by IUCN.",
  "conservationStatus": "Not Evaluated",
  "taxonomy": {
    "kingdom": "Animalia",
    "phylum": "Arthropoda",
    "class": "Arachnida",
    "order": "Araneae",
    "family": "Sicariidae",
    "genus": "Loxosceles"
  },
  "stats": {
    "weightKg": 0.001,
    "lengthM": 0.015,
    "topSpeedKmh": 0.5,
    "lifespanYears": 3
  },
  "facts": [
    {
      "label": "Scientific name",
      "value": "Loxosceles reclusa"
    },
    {
      "label": "Diet",
      "value": "Carnivore — insects and other small arthropods"
    },
    {
      "label": "Habitat",
      "value": "Dark undisturbed spaces — attics, closets, sheds, and woodpiles"
    },
    {
      "label": "Lifespan",
      "value": "2–4 years; slow-growing and long-lived for a spider"
    },
    {
      "label": "Weight",
      "value": "0.5–1 g (0.0005–0.001 kg)"
    },
    {
      "label": "Top speed",
      "value": "Quick short bursts when threatened; otherwise sedentary"
    },
    {
      "label": "Conservation status",
      "value": "Not Evaluated (IUCN)"
    }
  ],
  "range": {
    "nativeRange": "South-central United States from Nebraska and Iowa south to Texas and Georgia — rarely found outside this native range despite frequent misidentifications elsewhere.",
    "continents": [
      "North America"
    ]
  },
  "sources": [
    {
      "citation": "IUCN Red List — Loxosceles reclusa.",
      "url": "https://www.iucnredlist.org/search?query=Loxosceles%20reclusa&searchType=species"
    },
    {
      "citation": "Animal Diversity Web — Loxosceles reclusa. University of Michigan Museum of Zoology.",
      "url": "https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Loxosceles_reclusa/"
    },
    {
      "citation": "Wikipedia — Brown Recluse Spider.",
      "url": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brown_recluse_spider"
    }
  ],
  "lastReviewed": "2026-07-16",
  "canonicalUrl": "https://globalanimalguide.org/animals/brown-recluse-spider/",
  "license": {
    "name": "CC BY-NC 4.0",
    "url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/",
    "attribution": "Global Animal Guide — https://globalanimalguide.org/animals/brown-recluse-spider/",
    "note": "Free to reuse for non-commercial purposes with attribution and a link back to the canonical page."
  }
}