Key Points

• • Count the eyes. Recluses have six eyes in three pairs. Wolf spiders have eight, including two large ones facing forward.
  • Check the back. Recluses have a dark violin shape and plain legs. Wolf spiders are hairier, often striped, and usually bigger.
  • A spider carrying an egg sac or babies is a wolf spider, and Texas A&M says wolf spiders pose no danger to people or pets.
  • In San Antonio, your “brown recluse” may be a Texas recluse. It needs the same care.

The brown recluse vs. wolf spider question comes down to two quick checks: the eyes and the back. A recluse has six eyes in pairs, a dark violin shape on its back, and plain, smooth legs. A wolf spider is usually bigger and hairier, often striped, with eight eyes, two of them large and facing forward.

Getting it right matters. Wolf spiders are harmless to people and pets, while a recluse bite can turn into a serious wound. Here’s how to tell them apart, where each one hides, and when to worry. For other species, see our spider control page.

Brown Recluse vs. Wolf Spider: What’s the Difference?

A brown recluse is a small, plain-legged spider with six eyes and a violin mark that hides in clutter. A wolf spider is a larger, hairy hunter with eight eyes that runs across floors and often carries its egg sac or babies.

Sources: Texas A&M field guide, Texas A&M Urban Entomology, Missouri Department of Conservation, Auburn University Extension.

How Do You Identify a Brown Recluse (or Texas Recluse)?

Look for the violin, then confirm with the eyes. The eyes are the more reliable check, because plenty of harmless brown spiders have marks that look a little like a violin.

The violin

A darker violin shape on top of the front body section, with the base of the violin near the head and the “neck” pointing back toward the abdomen. The legs are one plain color, with no stripes or bands.

The eyes

Recluses have six eyes arranged in three pairs. Most spiders, including wolf spiders, have eight. Zoom in with your phone camera on a trapped spider and count.

Meet the Texas recluse

Texas has several recluse species. According to the Texas A&M field guide, the Texas recluse (Loxosceles devia) lives in Central and South Texas, “may be the most common species in Texas and is often mistaken for” the brown recluse. Around San Antonio, the recluse you find could be either one. They look nearly identical, and you should handle both with the same care.

Expert tip: Don’t squash a suspected recluse. Catch it under a jar or on a sticky trap so you can get a clear look, or show it to a doctor or pest professional if someone was bitten.

How Do You Identify a Wolf Spider?

Wolf spiders are hairy, brown-and-black hunters that often have stripes. They don’t use webs to catch prey. Instead, they run it down at night, which is why you see them dash across the floor.

Three giveaways:

• • The eyes: two large eyes in the center of the top row, with a row of four small eyes below.
  • The babies: a female drags a round egg sac attached to the rear of her abdomen. After it hatches, the spiderlings ride on her back for up to two weeks or more. No recluse does this.
  • The flashlight test: hold a flashlight beside your head and shine it across the lawn at night. Wolf spiders’ eyes shine back like a cat’s, according to the Missouri Department of Conservation.

Where Do You Find Each One Around a Texas Home?

Location is one of the best brown recluse vs. wolf spider clues. Recluses hide in dark, undisturbed spots. Texas health officials and Texas A&M point to stored boxes, garages, basements, closets, shoes, and piles of old clothes or towels. Outdoors, they shelter under logs and stones.

Wolf spiders live outside in grass, mulch, and leaf litter. Texas A&M notes they wander in through gaps under doors and are often seen near lights. A wolf spider running across the living room floor came in from outside; it isn’t living in your boxes.

Are Brown Recluses and Wolf Spiders Dangerous?

Wolf spiders aren’t. Texas A&M says they “do not pose any danger to people or pets.” Penn State Extension notes that if one is handled roughly, its bite causes pain, redness, and mild swelling that usually fades within about 24 hours.

Recluses are different, though they aren’t aggressive. Texas A&M says bites happen most often when a spider is trapped against skin in clothing or bedding. Possible effects include:

• • A stinging feeling and a small white blister at the bite (CDC)
  • A discolored spot that can turn into an open sore the size of a quarter or larger
  • Local pain and itching that can take days, or more than a week, to develop
  • Whole-body reactions such as rash, fever, vomiting, or diarrhea, usually within 72 hours

The Texas Department of State Health Services notes there is no effective antivenom for recluse bites.

Is That Wound Really a Recluse Bite?

Often, no. A paper in JAMA Dermatology by spider expert Rick Vetter and two dermatologists notes that about 40 medical conditions, including MRSA infections and skin cancer, can be mistaken for recluse bites. Their checklist, called NOT RECLUSE, flags clues that point away from a recluse, such as several wounds at once, a sore that’s red and raised, or a wound that showed up between November and March.

The takeaway: don’t self-diagnose. For first aid, wash the area with soap and water and apply a cold compress, as the CDC recommends. Call Poison Help at 1-800-222-1222, and see a doctor for any wound that spreads, worsens, or comes with fever. Bring the spider if you caught it.

This section is general information, not medical advice.

How Do You Keep Recluses and Wolf Spiders Out?

The two need different approaches, because one lives inside and the other wanders in.

Recluses (indoors): Auburn University Extension recommends:

• • Shaking out bedding, stored clothes, and shoes before use
  • Removing bed skirts so spiders can’t climb onto the bed
  • Decluttering closets and storage rooms
  • Placing sticky traps where spiders hide, to see what you have

Wolf spiders (outdoors in): Add door sweeps and weather-stripping, and pull mulch and clutter back from the foundation. Sealing gaps is homeowner or handyman work. For more, see our guide to keeping spiders out of your Texas home.

When Should You Call a Professional?

For a wolf spider or two, you usually don’t need one. Scoop it into a cup and put it outside.

Call a professional if:

• • You’ve confirmed a recluse indoors, since they hide in storage and one usually isn’t alone
  • Sticky traps keep catching recluses
  • Wolf spiders are getting inside every night despite door sweeps

Beeline Pest Control treats the perimeter where wolf spiders cross and the indoor hiding spots where recluses live, using products applied with families and pets in mind. It’s part of our residential pest control service. Read more about pet-safe spider control.

Six Eyes or Eight?

That’s the brown recluse vs. wolf spider test in one line: six eyes and a violin mean be careful, while eight eyes and babies on her back mean you can relax. If you’re finding recluses in your storage or closets, Beeline can help.

Request a free quote, call 210-739-1320, or text 210-972-1672. For other species, see our guide to common spiders in Texas.

Frequently Asked Questions