Harmless. The long-legged brown male is the single most common animal mistaken for a brown recluse in the southern US, but it has eight eyes and no violin mark.
Size10–19 mm body; males look larger because of leg length
MarkingsMales: light brown, very long legs, wandering in the open · Females: much darker, stockier, stay in a crevice
WhereCracks in brickwork, window frames, eaves and porches across the southern US.
What it is not
A southern house spider is most often confused with a species that is medically significant. If you are trying to rule those out, check these:
Males: light brown, very long legs, wandering in the open
Females: much darker, stockier, stay in a crevice
Eight eyes in a tight cluster — recluses have six in three pairs
Radiating, messy web spreading out from a hole or crack
No violin shape on the head-plate
Where you’ll find it
The southern United States, from Florida across the Gulf states into Texas and up the southeastern seaboard. It is a warm-climate species and does not occur across most of the north.
Cracks in brickwork, window frames, eaves and porches across the southern US.
How it behaves
The two sexes look so different that people routinely report them as separate species. Females are dark, stocky and stay in a crevice behind a distinctive radiating web. Males are pale brown, long-legged and wander in the open, which is when they get mistaken for recluses. Males are also harmless and, unusually, are often quite bold about approaching people.
You’ve found one indoors
Nothing. It is harmless, it stays outdoors around brickwork and window frames, and its webs catch a large number of insects. If a wandering male gets indoors, glass and card puts it back out.
Common questions
Is this a brown recluse?
Almost certainly not. The male southern house spider is the single most common false recluse report in the southern US. Count the eyes if you can: this species has eight in a tight cluster, a recluse has six in three widely spaced pairs. It also has no violin mark.
Why do the male and female look so different?
Strong sexual dimorphism. The female is dark and heavy-bodied and stays in her retreat; the male is pale, leggy and roams to find her. They are regularly reported as two different animals.
What is the flat radiating web on my brickwork?
That is this spider. It spreads a fan of silk out from a crack or hole and waits inside. The pattern is distinctive once you have seen it.
Tomás Carranza Perales · CC-BY