British resident Melissa Rowling has contacted the Bulletin to raise awareness about the danger posed by the Mediterranean violin spider (Loxosceles rufescens) - the brown recluse (Loxosceles reclusa, Sicariidae, formerly placed in a family “Loxoscelidae”) is a recluse spider with necrotic venom - after being bitten.
She said: “I was clearing out my attic and brought down a box of old shoes and handbags to show my children. I think the spider must have been in the box. My leg was totally numb when the blister appeared. The bite became infected and then necrotic. It has meant daily visits to Hospital Quironsalud Palmaplanas where the medical staff have done a great job debriding the wound to remove the necrotic flesh. They say it will be another month before it is fully healed.
“If I had known about the recluse spider, I would have gone much earlier to hospital instead of leaving it for two weeks. I’m contacting you as I think it is important to raise awareness of these spiders on the island. I had no idea they existed before this happened to me – the effect of it has been awful.”
Growing concern over the Mediterranean violin spider (Loxosceles rufescens) in the Balearics has emerged, as recent cases indicate inadequate medical awareness and delayed diagnoses put patients at risk of severe complications including necrosis and extended hospital admissions.
Although the Mediterranean violin spider is both widespread and well-documented across the region, a significant number of local healthcare staff remain unaware of its presence, often leading to incorrect treatment protocols when patients present with bites. Such missteps can aggravate the severity of the wound, as seen in several recorded cases resulting in tissue necrosis and, in extreme situations, the risk of lasting injury.
Brown recluse spiders are usually between 6 and 20 millimetres (0.24 and 0.79 in), but may grow larger. While typically light to medium brown, they range in color from whitish to dark brown or blackish gray. The cephalothorax and abdomen are not necessarily the same color. These spiders usually have markings on the dorsal side of their cephalothorax, 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 nicknames fiddleback spider, brown fiddler, or violin spider.
Like all members of the Loxosceles genus, the brown recluse has potent tissue-destroying venoms containing the dermonecrotic agent sphingomyelinase D. Most bites are minor with no dermonecrosis, but a small number of brown recluse bites produce loxoscelism, a condition where the skin around the bite dies. While loxoscelism usually manifests as a skin condition (cutaneous loxoscelism), it can also include systemic symptoms like fever, nausea, and vomiting (viscerocutaneous loxoscelism).
In very rare cases, bites can even cause hemolysis – the bursting of red blood cells. In one study of clinically diagnosed brown recluse bites, skin necrosis occurred 37% of the time, while systemic illness occurred 14% of the time.