Image of Brown Recluse

Description:

Magnified 88X, this scanning electron micrograph (SEM) depicted the distal end (farthest from attachment to the body) of a hair-covered leg of a venomous brown recluse spider, Loxosceles reclusa, found inhabiting a Kentucky farm. The hairs are known as setae, and for the most part are sensorial in nature, providing the spider with information about the organism’s environment such as temperature changes, changes in wind direction, and chemical queues such as poisons or pheromones. Note the very small cluster of setae at the location of the metatarsotarsal joint. These may be involved in the act of web weaving, but this is only speculation. See PHIL 10093 for a higher magnification of this specialized region. L. reclusa is sometimes referred to as the violin or fiddle spider, for on its cephalothorax, i.e., a combination of its head and thoracic regions, one will see what appears to be coloration in the shape of these stringed instruments (see PHIL 1125).
Created: 2007