Spiders Similar to the Brown Recluse

Spitting Spider

• Like the brown recluse spider, spitting spiders have a similar eye pattern with six eyes set in three pairs on the forefront of the head. Spitting spiders have long, banded legs with spots or stripes on their front body region or cephalothorax. Unlike the brown recluse, spitting spiders are harmless.

Cellar Spiders

• Cellar spiders have long, spindly legs and frequently reside in dark, remote locations, factors which lead them to be commonly mistaken as a brown recluse. Most cellar spider species also exhibit a violin shaped pattern on the body, though this pattern is on its ventral abdomen or sternum, rather than its cephalothorax. Cellar spiders also have more than one color of pigment on their abdominal region. Of the various cellar spider species, the marbled cellar spider is the most commonly mistaken for a brown recluse.

Funnel Weaver Spider

• Funnel weaver spiders are commonly mistaken for the brown recluse, though there are many differences between the two species. Funnel weaver spiders have four sets of eyes rather than three, lack the violin-shaped marking and are darker brown in color. Funnel weavers are also much faster than the brown recluse and have stripped legs. They are completely harmless.

Pirate Spiders

• Although often mistaken for the brown recluse, pirate spiders have one characteristic that sets them apart from the recluse. Sharp bristles of hair cover the first set of legs on a pirate spider, a physical feature the brown recluse lacks. Pirate spiders do exhibit some cephalic markings, though these differ in appearance from the brown recluse.

Woodlouse Spider

• Some people find the eye pattern of the woodlouse spider similar to the brown recluse. However, the woodlouse has six eyes grouped in sets of three rather than six eyes grouped in sets of two. The woodlouse also lacks any pigment patterns on the body.