Size and Appearance:
1/4 to 1/2 inches long but may grow larger in warmer climates.

Light tan, deep yellow to brown, with marking on the top of its body. Marking is usually a black line that looks like a neck and body of a violin that points to the rear of the spider (hence the nicknames fiddle back spider, brown fiddler or violin spider), though marking may not be visible.

Commonly Found:
This spider usually builds their webs in woodpiles and sheds, closets, garages, plenum, cellars and other places that are dry and generally undisturbed. They also favor cardboard (possibly because it mimics the rotting tree bark which they inhabit naturally), shoes, inside dressers, in bed sheets if infrequently used, in stacks of clothes, behind baseboards, behind pictures and near furnaces.

Diet:
Eats insects (either alive or dead). Does not employ a web to capture food.

Important Facts:
The common source of human-recluse contact is during the cleaning of these spaces, when their isolated spaces are suddenly disturbed and the spider feels threatened, though most times, a person will be unaware they have been bitten until the bite becomes painful and itchy (usually 2 to 8 hours) and then increased pain, swollen and red (usually 12 to 36 hours).

Most bites are minor, but if you think you have been bitten by a brown recluse spider - apply immediate first apply (ice pack to bite site to control inflammation) and seek prompt medical care as soon as possible as some bites can lead to serious systemic problems and tissue damage.