Loxosceles deserta

Loxosceles deserta, commonly known as the desert recluse, is a brown spider of the family Sicariidae.[1]

Loxosceles deserta
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Subphylum: Chelicerata
Class: Arachnida
Order: Araneae
Infraorder: Araneomorphae
Family: Sicariidae
Genus: Loxosceles
Species:
L. deserta
Binomial name
Loxosceles deserta
Gertsch, 1973
Range of L. deserta within the United States shown in yellow. Mexican range not available.

The desert recluse is commonly misidentified as L. unicolor (of South America)[2] or as L. reclusa (the brown recluse of the southern and midwestern states), two spiders which do not live anywhere near the vicinity.[2]

Distribution

This spider is found in the eastern half of southern California, the southern tip of Nevada, the western half of Arizona, the southwestern corner of Utah,[3][4] and into Mexico.[5]

It dwells in the wild, and its only domestic occurrence is that near native vegetation, avoiding urban areas in the desert and even green lawns.[2] The spiders are particularly dense in packrat dens.[6]

Venom
Further information: Recluse spider venom components and effects

Lesions of the skin can be caused by the venomous bite of the desert recluse.[7] This occurs through the same mechanism responsible for the effects of the brown recluse bite.

References
  1. Norman I. Platnick (2011). "Family Sicariidae". The World Spider Catalog, version 11.5. American Museum of Natural History. Retrieved March 3, 2011.
  2. R. S. Vetter (2008). "Spiders of the genus Loxosceles: a review of biological, medical and psychological aspects regarding envenomations" (PDF). Journal of Arachnology. 36 (3): 150–163. doi:10.1636/RSt08-06.1.
  3. Chris Wirth (October 7, 2005). "Distribution of brown spiders native to the United States". BugGuide. Retrieved March 3, 2011.
  4. Ingi Agnarsson, Jonathan A. Coddington & Laura J. May-Collado (2007). "Elongated pedicillate setae: a putative sensory system and synapomorphy of spiders" (PDF). Journal of Arachnology. 35 (3): 411–426. doi:10.1636/SH07-01.1. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2009-07-09.
  5. according to Gertsch, 1973;"Loxosceles deserta". Interagency Taxonomic Information System. Retrieved 8 July 2017.
  6. Jennifer Parks, William V. Stoecker & Charles Kristensen (2006). "Observations on Loxosceles reclusa (Araneae, Sicariidae) feeding on short-horned grasshoppers" (PDF). Journal of Arachnology. 34 (1): 221–226. doi:10.1636/S04-32.1.
  7. F. E. Russell, W. G. Waldron & M. B. Madon (1969). "Bites by the brown spiders Loxosceles unicolor and Loxosceles arizonica in California and Arizona". Toxicon. 7 (2): 109–117. doi:10.1016/0041-0101(69)90073-7. PMID 4241848.


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