How/where to find desert Loxosceles species

[NYAN]

I go out to the deserts of California where Loxosceles martha and deserta can be found, but have never found a loxosceles species before. To those who have had luck, what’s is the type of habitat that they like besides people’s houses?

 

[chanda]

While L. reclusa seems fond of indoor living, I've never seen the other Loxosceles species indoors. (Not that they can't be in a home - but that's not where I've found them.) I don't know about the California species, but in Arizona I've found some (probably either L. arizonica or L. sabina) on a cut bank by a hiking trail and also in grasses near a stream. It was probably a coincidence, but the ones I found near the stream were actually under the horizontal web sheets of grass spiders. I only noticed them when I paused to photograph the grass spiders and saw them through the webs.

 

[pannaking22]

I've found L. devia underneath rocks and debris in south Texas. Not consistently, but they're definitely there.

 

[Quetzalcoatl Nyarlathotep]

Try looking for really flat, wide rocks with great surface area. These seem to be favorable recluse habitats. Hope this helps!

 

[Stan Schultz]

I go out to the deserts of California where Loxosceles martha and deserta can be found, but have never found a loxosceles species before. To those who have had luck, what’s is the type of habitat that they like besides people’s houses?

Look in areas that are damp enough to support grass at least sometime during the year. Damp arroyos and in streams' floodplains are good places. Another good habitat are unofficial dumps often found along railroad sidings and a short distance off rural highways along dirt roads in desolate areas. In such areas, look under trash like sheets of particle board and plywood, and under and in old cardboard boxes. DO NOT look for recluse spiders. Look for "tan fuzzies" that look like little blurs as they try to get away from you. When you see one, chase it down. Some percentage of the time it'll turn out to be a recluse.

Incidentally, DO NOT stand in front of desert trash and lift it away from you. Stand behind it, and using a snake stick or other implement, pull the far edge up and toward you. Look carefully over the top of that edge. Thus, you are using the trash item as a shield against venomous snakes!

Hope this helps.

 

[NYAN]

Look in areas that are damp enough to support grass at least sometime during the year. Damp arroyos and in streams' floodplains are good places. Another good habitat are unofficial dumps often found along railroad sidings and a short distance off rural highways along dirt roads in desolate areas. In such areas, look under trash like sheets of particle board and plywood, and under and in old cardboard boxes. DO NOT look for recluse spiders. Look for "tan fuzzies" that look like little blurs as they try to get away from you. When you see one, chase it down. Some percentage of the time it'll turn out to be a recluse.

Incidentally, DO NOT stand in front of desert trash and lift it away from you. Stand behind it, and using a snake stick or other implement, pull the far edge up and toward you. Look carefully over the top of that edge. Thus, you are using the trash item as a shield against venomous snakes!

Hope this helps.

This is great advice! I checked out Two areas which fit the first description before, but wasn’t successful. I need to get a good snakehook still.

 

[myrmecophile]

I have seen a Loxosceles species in good number inside structures in the mojave desert.

 

[Quetzalcoatl Nyarlathotep]

This is great advice! I checked out Two areas which fit the first description before, but wasn’t successful. I need to get a good snakehook still.

I would just use an old beat up axe or something more multi-purpose than a snakehook if I were to trek in the desert.

 

[Smokehound714]

they are extremely common around box canyon road in california, early spring you can see hundreds of mature male L deserta

 

[NYAN]

they are extremely common around box canyon road in california, early spring you can see hundreds of mature male L deserta

Where can the females be found?

 

[Smokehound714]

Where can the females be found?

anywhere you'd expect them to be. they take over abandoned burrows, seek shelter in rocks.

 

[NYAN]

anywhere you'd expect them to be. they take over abandoned burrows, seek shelter in rocks.

That’s funny. Ive never seen a Loxosceles species before. I guess I’m looking in the wrong places. I’ve searched within miles of that place too.

 

[Dovey]

I have seen a Loxosceles species in good number inside structures in the mojave desert.

I have seen them, too, in sheds and storage buildings that are semi abandoned or left open.

 

[NYAN]

Well, would you look at this. I finally found something. I’m pretry sure this is Loxosceles sabina. I think it may be a male though. ATTACH=full]294827[/ATTACH]

 

[RTTB]

Great find.

 

[pannaking22]

Looks male to me. That's a beauty of a spider.

 

[NYAN]

Looks male to me. That's a beauty of a spider.

Yeah, I’m stoked to have found one. I’ll try to find more tomorrow and hopefully apachea today.

 

[pannaking22]

Yeah, I’m stoked to have found one. I’ll try to find more tomorrow and hopefully apachea today.

Good luck!

 

[NYAN]

Here’s L. apachea

 

[pannaking22]

How many did you find?