Talk:Brown recluse spider

message: I fail to see any systemic bias, considering this is the english language wiki, and an article on a spider that resides in the usa. Sounds like buzzword maniacs going overboard. Provide concrete examples that are evident to others outside the action committee of "too much time and self-righteous indignation on our hands" or remove the Bias Label. I would remove it myself however it does not appear that it can be edited in the same way as an article can.
===BRS Habits===
It seems that the normal thought is that the Brown Recluse Spider (BRS) is totally reclusive. This is not always the case. Through personal observation I saw a fully grown BRS in a fully occupied, fully lit room, traverse the room by crawling approximately 6 1/2 feet off of the floor, moving horizontally to the floor, to get past the occupants in the room. On another occasion I was sitting in my recliner and when I reached for the lamp on the end table, there was a young BRS on the lamp which was lit at the time. Many times I have seen it cross the middle of a floor at night in lit rooms.
In light of this the scientific community is a little lax in their definition of the BRS habits.
Kenschnauzer (talk) 20:20, 6 November 2008 (UTC)
replies: text: Ummm...where, exactly, in the article do you see any explicit definition of the spider's habits, or statements that they are "totally reclusive"? If that's not what the article says - and it certainly does not appear to be - then this is really a rhetorical question, and NOT an issue about "the scientific community" or this article. Are you just assuming, for some reason, that because the common name of the spider is "recluse", that this implies that scientists think these spiders never come out of hiding? Let me assure you, that is not the case. Dyanega (talk) 22:22, 6 November 2008 (UTC)
thread_title: Remove Systemic Bias Tag/Label

message: It seems that the normal thought is that the Brown Recluse Spider (BRS) is totally reclusive. This is not always the case. Through personal observation I saw a fully grown BRS in a fully occupied, fully lit room, traverse the room by crawling approximately 6 1/2 feet off of the floor, moving horizontally to the floor, to get past the occupants in the room. On another occasion I was sitting in my recliner and when I reached for the lamp on the end table, there was a young BRS on the lamp which was lit at the time. Many times I have seen it cross the middle of a floor at night in lit rooms.
In light of this the scientific community is a little lax in their definition of the BRS habits.
Kenschnauzer (talk) 20:20, 6 November 2008 (UTC)
replies: text: Ummm...where, exactly, in the article do you see any explicit definition of the spider's habits, or statements that they are "totally reclusive"? If that's not what the article says - and it certainly does not appear to be - then this is really a rhetorical question, and NOT an issue about "the scientific community" or this article. Are you just assuming, for some reason, that because the common name of the spider is "recluse", that this implies that scientists think these spiders never come out of hiding? Let me assure you, that is not the case. Dyanega (talk) 22:22, 6 November 2008 (UTC)
thread_title: BRS Habits

message: The phrase "The yellow sac spiders possess a cytotoxic venom known to contain several proteolytic enzymes including alkaline phosphatase, deoxyribonuclease, esterase, hyaluronidase, lipase, and ribonuclease." is not correct, since these enzyme are not proteolytic (i.e. they do not degrade proteins). You can confirm this if you take a look at the respective Wikipedia articles.
Also, many nucleases are included in the "esterase family".
Concluding, the correct wording should probably be "..several enzymes including.." or "..several proteolytic enzymes and also.." (i assume the venom _does_ contain proteolytic enzymes). Thank you.
-- Anonymous Coward  —Preceding unsigned comment added by 85.138.10.171 (talk) 12:52, 21 October 2007 (UTC)
thread_title: could someone correct this?

message: In the opening section of the article it says "They seem to favor cardboard when dwelling in human poop, possibly because it mimics the rotting tree bark which they naturally inhabit."  Is this vandalism, or a mistake?
--71.106.184.185 18:24, 3 August 2007 (UTC)
thread_title: Mistake?

message: It is brown and usually has markings on the dorsal side of its thorax, with a black line coming from it that looks like a violin with the neck of the violin pointing to the rear of the spider resulting in the nickname "fiddleback spider" (not to be confused with the violin spider).
Yet, the Violin spider article says that "violin spider" is a nickname for the brown recluse.  Which is it? Triped 22:55, Feb 8, 2005 (UTC)
Violin spiders are Italian and Fiddle Backs are English right :D whicky1978 04:00, 10 January 2006 (UTC)
replies: text: Right you are. Fixed. Dyanega (talk) 00:24, 26 August 2010 (UTC)
thread_title: untitled

message: No information on where this spider is most often found? (i.e. which parts of the world?)
Hopefully one day a german article about this will exist - then the name should be ":de:Braune Einsiedlerspinne" - I just wanted to note this here, because on the one hand I'm not able to write an article in german about this, but on the other hand I'm interested in this spider, so probably someone is happy about the information how the german article will be named ;-) Because if someone wants to make "interwiki-links", it is not very easy to know the spider's name in each language! -- 212.119.140.165 20:51, 30 July 2005 (UTC)
thread_title:  Where? 

message: Переведите на русский...
The above unsigned comment says "Please Translate into Russian ..." --Keith111 (talk) 00:01, 14 July 2009 (UTC)
thread_title:  Пожа 

message: :Death may result, likely to happen with young children, however, there have not been any recorded deaths to date.
If death has never been recorded, how can it be said to be "likely"? Loganberry (Talk) 00:13, 10 September 2005 (UTC)
thread_title:  Contradiction? 

message: The first footnote is unavailable to anyone without a subscription of some kind. --Jacqui M Schedler 01:16, 26 September 2005 (UTC)
thread_title:  Citation 

message: This article is better than most in giving accurate information about the spider rather than the common myths, but a bit too much emphasis is given to some things, like the "fiddle-back." Read [] for general information, and [], about identifying it. And about the "most are too small to bite through the skin"--I don't really know the truth about this, but look [].
I found a website one night with my father one night when we were looking up this spider and they did an experiment with the Black widow and the Brown Recluse. They put the two together in a Glass Jar and they were content with eachother, but when they put a cricket in there fro them to eat, the Brown Recluse had killed and eaten the cricket and just killed the Back widow. The damage tot he Brown Recluse was ONE lost leg and he survived. I was very shocked. 
 From the Website www.spiderzrule.com/commonspidersusa.htm I found information on the brown Recluse's bite-
"When bitten, a blister arises around the area of the bite. The local pain becomes intense with the wound sloughing tissue (loxoscelism) often down to the bone. Healing takes place slowly and may take 6 to 8 weeks. If the bite of a brown recluse spider is suspected, collect the spider and consult a physician immediately". So yes, the bite can be very serious, nothing small like the last guy said. ----- Kelly "lilwheel88" 5/21/2007
Actually, it is both.  Most brown recluse bites heal with no problems beyond a small blister.  In rare cases the body reacts badly to the bite, generating the necrosis.  The exact causes for this are not totally known but seem to be related to level of dosage (ie how bad of a bite), allergies to the venom, and whether prexisting problems such as poor circulation or hepatitus are present.  I can confirm this, as my father works as a logistical manager in a salvage yard here in Texas.(the combination of lots of dark, gutted cars to hide in and the presence of various vermin make it a paradice for poisonous things) It has occured several times that someone will get bitten by a brown recluse and ignore the bite because it was no big deal the last time they got bitten by one, as is usually the case, only to react badly and end up in the doctors office getting their "loxoscelism" worked on.  If someone in the medical field could provide a citation from a medical journal for cases such as one of these, rather than just my anecdotal evidence, it would probably go a long way to clearing up this "sometimes
it's only a blister, other times you end up in the ER" confusion.--Scorpion451 15:40, 16 June 2007 (UTC)
thread_title:  A bit of myth-squashing 

message: Since the eye pattern is characteristic, does someone have an appropriate picture that can be used in Wikipedia? I'll post it in Wikipedia:Requested pictures if no one has one handy. Thanks. Catbar (Brian Rock) 10:24, 27 July 2006 (UTC)
replies: text: I added a crop of a picture which shows the eyes very well, but I am not quite happy with where it is placed.  If anybody can get it to look a bit better I'd appreciate it. Pennywisdom2099 (talk) 18:53, 15 September 2008 (UTC)
thread_title: Picture of eye pattern?

message: Could someone edit the caption of the shot of the spider on a coin so that the caption mentions the type of coin?  Not everyone can look at the "heads" side of an American coin and determine the denomination (including me).
I added to the caption for you. I agree that not everyone in the world will know what a quarter looks like or what a quarter is for that matter.The Real Stucco 21:03, 3 October 2006 (UTC)
replies: text: You forgot to say "The U.S. isn't the world." Didn't you get the memo?  — Preceding unsigned comment added by 50.32.49.1 (talk) 02:37, 3 September 2012 (UTC)
thread_title:  Coin Caption 

message: "Spider" has been replaced with "Horse" Stinkman 05:55, 14 May 2007 (UTC)
thread_title: Vandalism

message: This article states that the venom of a black recluse does not produce swelling. Some of the sites I've seen, a few of which were moderately reliable, state otherwise. In fact, tyhe "Ohio University Fact Sheet" cited by this article claims that swelling will occur. Can someone produce a sound, reliable source for the lack of swelling? Otherwise, I'm going to edit it out. 
See my comment higher on this page, anecdotal and seeking a citation from an authoritative article(I know I have seen the information, but I cannot find the article I read) that depending on the person and the circumstances of the bite that reaction can range from a small blister to a large slow healing wound.--Scorpion451 15:48, 16 June 2007 (UTC)
thread_title:  No swelling? 

message: From this article:
"These spiders frequently build their webs in woodpiles and sheds, closets, garages, and other places that are dry and generally undisturbed."
And...
"First and foremost, Brown Recluse spiders are attracted to dark and damp spaces."
A bit of a contradiction.  Should be corrected or at least explained.
Dalliance13 04:43, 29 June 2007 (UTC)
thread_title:  Dry or Damp? 

message: As an alternative medicine practitioner, there are some alternative treatments that can be quite effective. I don't know Wikipedia's policy on touting specific products but assume it's a no-no and won't list those. Therefore, a VERY simple and immediately effective method of treating a brown recluse bite is the application of activated charcoal. Simply open the capsule, wet the surface of a bandage (any type) and sprinkle the charcoal liberally on the bandage. Press this onto the wound and tape it firmly in place. Change every 2 hours the first 24 hours, then every 4 hours the next day and twice a day after that. 
Arguments FOR this: it's safe and does not interfere with any other treatments, it's inexpensive, readily available, can be done at home by anyone and you should see results immediately. If you don't see changes within 12 hours, then of course see your doctor. I have used this with anxious clients who are quite freaked out when their skin starts to turn black (necrosis). Of course everyone should see their doctor whenever they want to but for those who don't have one, it's too expensive or they have seen a doctor and are not seeing results, this is a viable alternative. Arguments against this: no one is making any money on the treatment.
:It's not JUST a matter of "touting specific products", which is prohibited, but also a matter of excluding UNSOURCED and UNVERIFIABLE statements, such as the one you make above. If you can find a reliable source for either the effectiveness (which requires an unambiguous citation of a controlled study) or even just the widespread use of activated charcoal as a remedy, then it could be considered for inclusion. Otherwise, it does not belong in Wikipedia, as it would violate guidelines on verifiability, original research, and notability. It's really pretty simple.
:The argument against this, incidentally, is that if people use a treatment that is not effective they might choose NOT to seek PROPER treatment - because they are under the mistaken impression that what they have done on their own will be good enough. For example, you are explicitly advising people, above, to wait 12 hours before seeing a doctor. If a person KNOWS, for a fact that they have JUST been bitten by a brown recluse, then there is no reason to wait; that just gives the venom 12 extra hours to do damage. Following your advice is potentially dangerous, since countermeasures against the venom are more effective the sooner they are applied. Dyanega 21:14, 13 August 2007 (UTC)
replies: text: Why doesn't someone that knows how to edit, SEARCH THE WEB and put in the article THE FACT that 25,000 volts from a stun gun, administered twice, will 100% neutralized the poison and REMOVE the pain within seconds. This knowledge has been on the Internet over ten years. There were quite a few doctors who were promoting it but apparently the AMA put a stop to that.
Look at this. The medical profession HAS NO REMEDY and will charge a person THOUSANDS of dollars for treatment, and WILL NOT TELL THEM about stun guns, which WILL eliminate the problem IMMEDIATELY. The public deserves to know this and you guys that edit can EASILY find this information.76.6.94.150 (talk) 01:31, 10 January 2014 (UTC)
replies: text:  I'm sure one can find information on the web that Elvis is alive and shacked up with Osama Bin Laden in Pittsburgh. It has to come from reliable sources, or we can't use it. Period. Chuck Entz (talk) 05:14, 13 January 2014 (UTC)
thread_title:   Treatment  

message: There you go, enjoy y'all. I took pictures of this monster. This one has been put in the page now and here are two more. Hopefullt this will help people identify this devil and keep them out of their homes.
 
--Brown-recluse-guy (talk) 05:14, 7 June 2008 (UTC)
thread_title:  New pictures added 

message: My name is Les Murphy. I am currently in an invasion of Brown Recluse'. I'm finding them in my sinks and bathtubs every other week or so. I live in O'Fallon Missouri. I kill them (with a lot of jumping and flopping) with wasp spray. The spider spray takes too long. I used to have house spiders but do not find any alive more. The Recluse have taken over. I'm currently fixing the cracks in my foundation to dry my basement and take away their environment. I have set the sticky paper traps and caught countless fiddlers. I spray and spray, and I cant get rid of them. I'll seek profesional help soon. The reason behind this postine is that I brought one of my freshly deceased roomates to a palentoligist friend of mine with macro photography capabilities... The pics are awesome and blow away anything I've seen before of pics or the Brown Recluse. It doesnt qualify up there with the recent Bigfoot find, (lol) but Entomologists and Arachniods freaks will definately want to take note how these pics happened. My friend Barry claims he had very little knowledge of spiders when he shot the pics of a very alive looking spider on the tip of his finger. I'm thinking he really freaked out when the two stinger claws appeared to be sunk into his finger after he reviewed the pics (with the 4 bulbs of venom)I hope I'm not the first to point out that there are 4 venom sacs. I told my friend Barry that he's probably going to be known as the "Steve Irwin" of spiders now. Barry has been contracted by National Geographic for his excellence in photography. They are that realistic. If anyone who knows what a brown recluse is sees these.... They will freak out!!   For now, until I get the OK from Barry to release them, you may contact me by phone or email me. He assured me they may become available soon through google pics. He has a cute story to tell. The pics are amazing and I would recommend any Entomologist to look Barry up. When you see the pics... You'll know why. You can see every hair in every leg in detail.
I can be reached by phone at 636-240-5412 or just email me back at Murf3045@aol.com These pics were taken a few years ago. I'm still knee deep in Brown Recluse...  Barry still has his camera...? I'm thinking we can do even better. Trust me when I say these are the best pics of a Brown Recluse on the Web (lol) Not a pun...?
(moved by mattb 15:37, 28 August 2008 (UTC)
replies: text: If he's got any photos he doesn't mind releasing under a free-for-business-use license, we can accept those. Just post them here once he releases them; we'll review them then. Bob the Wikipedian (talk • contribs)  18:08, 26 November 2010 (UTC)
thread_title:  Moved from [[Talk:Brown recluse spider/Comments]] 

message: I took a few photos of an adult male brown recluse (this was confirmed by an entomologist) and uploaded them.  If you'd like to use them in the article, feel free to. -- mattb 15:39, 28 August 2008 (UTC)
replies: text: Excellent lighting and clarity. Would have been nicer though if it was a better pose or the spider had its legs in an active more 'alive' position. --Brown-recluse-guy (talk) 20:18, 7 September 2008 (UTC)
replies: text: Actually it was very much alive when I took these. -- mattb 21:05, 11 September 2008 (UTC)
replies: text: Interesting... I wish I was able to take the photo in the same quality you did. Looks great. I'm not sure which is the best photo for the main table. Replace it with yours if you think its better. What equipment did you use? A microscope of some sort too? --Brown-recluse-guy (talk) 04:29, 19 September 2008 (UTC)
replies: text: I used a cheap SLR (Nikon D40) and a general purpose 18-55mm zoom lens.  Just take a lot of exposures and have patience and you're bound to get a couple decent ones. -- mattb 12:38, 14 October 2008 (UTC)
thread_title:  More photos 

message: The map probably needs correction as the article includes Brazil and these are also known in South Africa (as Violin spiders).  —Preceding unsigned comment added by 198.54.202.114 (talk) 18:02, 24 January 2009 (UTC)
replies: text: See page here about the genus. This article does not include Brazil or South Africa in any significant manner as far as I can tell, just passing mention in the treatment of bites which is essentially the same all across the genus. Arachnowhat (talk) 20:23, 24 January 2009 (UTC)
thread_title:  Map 

message: I found a spider in my house I thought might be a Brown Recluse, but I'm not sure.  I snapped some photos of it, and made a side-by-side comparison with a brown recluse photo I found online.  I know this isn't really related to the article, but can any of you tell me if my spider was a brown recluse, and if not, what it is?  Here's the photo.  Thanks. MamaGeek (talk/contrib) 19:27, 5 April 2009 (UTC)
replies: text: Nope, not a brown recluse. Not sure what it is, maybe a grass spider  --Brown-recluse-guy (talk) 19:27, 29 April 2009 (UTC)
thread_title:  Help with identification? 

message: From the article:
::Since the violin pattern is not diagnostic, and other spiders may have similar marking (i.e. cellar spiders and pirate spiders), for purposes of identification it is far more important to examine the eyes. Differing from most spiders, which have eight eyes, recluse spiders have six eyes arranged in pairs (dyads) with one median pair and two lateral pairs.
However, the cellar spiders have the same "unique" eye arrangement.  Like the violin pattern, the eye pattern is not diagnostic either. 70.189.64.126 (talk) 04:33, 15 August 2009 (UTC)
thread_title:  Another contradiction? 

message: What is the difference between this spider and the Recluse Spider, should they not be merged?  —Preceding unsigned comment added by 196.215.240.1 (talk) 14:13, 16 March 2010 (UTC)
replies: text: Recluse spider is the genus, and it includes many species, including the Chilean recluse and the Mediterranean recluse. StAnselm (talk) 02:32, 10 April 2010 (UTC)
thread_title:  Merge? 

message: We have been getting these in Brevard County, Florida, not particularly near the other Florida counties which have them. Up to now this has been "anecdotal" as they say, but reported several times a year in the paper and television for the past 20 years or so. See, for example, http://www.mcmsonline.org/pdf/may/SummerPerils.pdf. I don't know what it takes to get it in here "officially." Student7 (talk) 23:03, 9 April 2010 (UTC)
replies: text: As I noted above, it's simple: what it takes to get in here officially is a report from a reliable source, meaning someone who actually knows how to identify spiders, and has seen brown recluse specimens from Florida; papers, TV, and medical doctors are not reliable sources. There are no "other Florida counties which have them" - they do not occur in Florida at all. If they did, someone would have produced a specimen by now. You familiar with "Habeas corpus"? Dyanega (talk) 18:34, 4 August 2010 (UTC)
replies: text: Communication with G.B. Edwards, the go-to-guy for spider bites in Florida, indicates that Florida, like virtually every other state in the US, only gets sporadic records of one recluse at a time, often associated with someone who has traveled recently to the midwest. He knows of no established populations (and they've been looking really hard to FIND any established populations). That's the definitive word from the definitive authority. Recluses get transported, but they do not establish extralimital populations. People outside the midwest should be gratified to know this, but it seems like we're a culture built on paranoia, so everyone prefers to think that there are recluses everywhere, because it gives them something else to be afraid of. Peace, Dyanega (talk) 16:01, 5 August 2010 (UTC)
thread_title: Distribution - Florida?

message: On the BRS wikipedia page, when was the map last updated? Because i saw a brown recluse in my hometown in NC, so i'm wondering if you could update it, and the city i'm in is high point nc.
The spider might be a native.  —Preceding unsigned comment added by 97.75.143.128 (talk) 22:31, 24 July 2010 (UTC)
replies: text: They're not native to NC, so the odds are about 99% that it was either not a brown recluse, or not one that was *born* there. Bring a specimen to a spider expert, if you think you've got them. Dyanega (talk) 01:56, 25 July 2010 (UTC)

text: Bring one to an expert. Until then, I - for one, speaking *as* an expert - do not believe that is what you've got there. I've seen over 200 spiders that untrained people have identified as brown recluses over the years here in California, and NOT ONE was a recluse. You can't trust untrained people to ID spiders. Dyanega (talk) 05:49, 26 July 2010 (UTC)
thread_title: Question?

message: "though many claim to find pain relief, venom elimination, and even complete healing through the use of inexpensive active carbon (or charcoal) salves" this bit needs some citation. Sounds like homeopathic nonsense.  —Preceding unsigned comment added by 82.111.92.151 (talk) 00:15, 19 December 2010 (UTC)
thread_title: Challenged statement

message: This article seems to attract a lot of Californians...so I figured it's time we set up an article on the brown recluse's Doppelgänger, the desert recluse. If anyone has photos or information, it's more than welcome. Bob the WikipediaN (talk • contribs)  17:24, 3 March 2011 (UTC)
thread_title:  California's recluses 

message: The footnotes are in a long column down the page.  It would look much nicer if someone would move around the text and place the footnotes into regular format. (I don't know how to make that change.) Thank you.
Reverence Still (talk) 21:32, 16 June 2011 (UTC)
thread_title:  Footnotes are in a column - please change the layout 

message: I remember reading this in a journal last summer; a researcher kept a captive brown recluse for five seasons with no food. Unfortunately, I've graduated and no longer have access to the journal databases. Can someone track this down? Thanks! Bob the WikipediaN (talk • contribs)  17:16, 13 July 2011 (UTC)
thread_title:  Five seasons without food 

message: While it has its own section: "Domestic variety as a pest," and is mentioned one other place: "The wild variety lives in the southern states ranging from central Texas to western Georgia, and the domestic variety lives in the lower reaches of the Midwest," this so-called "variety" (and "species") is not defined, nor are its characteristics or differences if any, or not, given.  If this can't be done, suggest expanding the range from "the South" to include the southern Midwest, and deleting "domestic variety."  
Following one of the footnotes of Domestic variety as a pest (Sandidge and Hopwood) I find this interesting titbit in the abstract: "Loxosceles reclusa, the brown recluse spider, is by far the most abundant spider species in many homes throughout the south-central United States."  If confirmed, this should be in the article.  --68.127.83.38 (talk) 05:38, 13 May 2012 (UTC)
replies: text: "Variety" isn't meant in the technical sense here. Perhaps there's a better word..."population"? I do find that claim by Sandidge and Hopwood odd, since all the journal articles I've read say the domesticism is exclusively limited to the southern Midwest where the species is not as well-adapted for the wilderness. Perhaps by "south central" they were referring either to the entire domain of the species or to the southern portion of the central U.S., not including the southernmost states? The statement is very vague as it stands. Bob the WikipediaN (talk • contribs)  01:19, 15 May 2012 (UTC)
thread_title:  "Domestic variety" is not defined. 

message: Jessica Carlisle from Alabama lost her five year old son Branson aged 5 . -- Simplicius (talk) 09:55, 7 December 2014 (UTC)
replies: text: Ok but how old was he? Captainllama (talk) 16:08, 30 June 2022 (UTC)
thread_title:  Case 

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thread_title:  External links modified 

message: This entry presents a good general description of the brown recluse spider. I especially like the description of the behaviors of the spider when it is threatened as well as the descriptions of their bites. The article describes how it usually flees and avoids conflict by playing dead. I also found it interesting how they display autotomy (shedding their appendage if hurt) but that they don’t regenerate the appendage. These spiders instead change their way of moving to compensate for the loss. There is no information about the social behavior of these spiders and whether they live in groups or prefer to live and get food as individuals. Also, there is a lack of details about their prey capture techniques and predators. The only information mentioned is that males tend to move when hunting while females tend to remain near their webs. Additionally, there is little information about the mating behavior of these spiders. All that is mentioned is that sometimes an unreceptive female will cannibalize an aggressive male. This article was ranked B-class on the quality sale with high-importance which means that it is missing some important sections and content, but is on the right track. The talk page was pretty active and people were asking for more information about where these spiders are most often found and asking for more clarification about the social behavior of these spiders (are they really “recluse” or is that just in the name).  — Preceding unsigned comment added by Saachijain (talk • contribs) 22:23, 6 October 2020 (UTC)
thread_title:  Comments for Behavioral Ecology Class 

message: The Wikipedia entry for this spider has very detailed, thorough information on bites and the corresponding treatment alternatives. The descriptions are all very clear and concise, making the article easy to follow and includes a wide variety of topics, such has bite treatments and living distribution. One part I found very interesting was the fact that the brown recluse can survive up to six months in extreme conditions or without food, showing how resilient this spider is. The three general categories that are missing in this Wikipedia page are mating, physiology, and diet. By incorporating information on mating, we would have been able to learn more about the male-male and male-female interactions that dictate sexual behavior. Physiology give us information of adaptations that may play a role in the spider’s behavior, especially with respect to sensory features. Finally, understanding the spider’s diet would allow us to learn more about its feeding and foraging behaviors that may inform the spider’s choice in habitat and hunting strategies. The article is part of the WikiProject Spiders and has been rated as B-class on the project’s quality scale and as high-importance on the importance scale. The quality scale seems reasonable since it is missing some content. I would consider this article to be mid-level importance since is covers a specific spider species rather than a general area of knowledge.
Delanieludmir (talk) 03:00, 7 October 2020 (UTC)
thread_title:  Behavioral Ecology Assignment comment 

message: Some categories that could be included in this entry are mating, social behavior, and web mechanism and/or hunting mechanism. While there is a category dedicated to behavior, it only mainly covers defense mechanism, so it would certainly be more interesting to see their hunting approach, and their utilization of webs in different ways, especially given that they have a powerful venom that is necrotic. Along the same lines, more information on social behavior would be helpful in understanding whether their hunting or living occurs in groups, as venom seems to be a more individualistic characteristic that may potentially not require group living. Lastly, the mating process would be crucial in understanding the reproductive cycle of the brown recluse spiders, as well as understanding the relationship between male and female spiders, whether there is a power dynamic between the different sexes.
Dyklee (talk) 04:02, 7 October 2020 (UTC)
thread_title:  Behavioral Ecology Assignment 

message: "Despite rumors to the contrary, the brown recluse spider has not established itself in California or anywhere outside its native range." 
- they absolutely DID establish in California. We had seen dozens in Sunnyvale, Windsor Ridge apartments (I am biologist, can do recognition work stuff). Had even one bite, luckily by smaller sized one (about 2/3in) - red, itchy painfull swelling on lower leg, with massive local hemolysis (6in diameter), wich took over 4 weeks to heal. 67.188.141.71 (talk) 04:13, 2 June 2023 (UTC)
replies: text: If they "did" occur and "had" been seen, the implication is that the species has not "established" itself, i.e. become naturalized. Peter coxhead (talk) 06:49, 2 June 2023 (UTC)
replies: text: More to the point, perhaps, is that unless there is a reliable published source that can be cited, even if your anecdote is true, it can't be included in Wikipedia. I can add that I've heard that there is a population in a single warehouse in east LA, that has been living there for over a decade but has never spread outside that particular warehouse. A single building would not qualify as an established population. In plain fact, a population limited to a single building could fairly easily be eradicated, if people really put the proper effort into it. Dyanega (talk) 15:21, 2 June 2023 (UTC)
replies: text: I just had a long face-to-face discussion about this with the actual world authority on brown recluses, Rick Vetter, who performed a 10-year study of spiders submitted as recluses in California. There are known populations of the Chilean recluse in a few east LA warehouses, and several scattered single-building records of the Mediterranean recluse from the Bay Area and that general region. Any recluses you saw in Sunnyvale were therefore Mediterranean recluses, and not brown recluses. The two species are extremely difficult to diagnose, even for experts. Please see Greene, A. (2009) American Entomologist 55: 158–169. doi:10.1093/ae/55.3.158 for detailed descriptions. The statement that there are no populations of brown recluses in California has never been disproven; there are other species of recluses in California, but not L. reclusa. Dyanega (talk) 21:29, 2 June 2023 (UTC)
thread_title:  Brown recluse in California 

message: What does the "NOT RECLUSE" mnemonic stand for? 2600:100B:B130:A88:0:C:4E66:D101 (talk) 15:16, 22 February 2024 (UTC)
replies: text: See this link for the details, if you cannot open the JAMA article itself. Dyanega (talk) 15:50, 22 February 2024 (UTC)
thread_title:  Misdiagnosis mnemonic 

message: See https://diypestcontrol.com/brown_recluse_spider.htm
for better description and MAP!! They are definitely in the southeastern and mid Atlantic states. I don’t know how to change the map but it must be done! Also, this link has a great description - much better than what is currently on wiki. I need to learn how to do more here on Wikipedia , but at least I can sound the alarm, as the season is upon us! Ty to whoever fixes this! Tarheelladybug1 (talk) 01:39, 1 May 2024 (UTC)
replies: text: The source you cite is a pest control company, and not what Wikipedia classifies as a reliable source. There's nothing to be "fixed", and you should probably inform this pest control company that their map is wrong. Dyanega (talk) 16:42, 2 May 2024 (UTC)
thread_title:  Map is WRONG: outdated!