Loxosceles reclusa, the Violin Spider or Fiddle back, Aka, the Brown Recluse. I would suggest killing one if you come across one again. Their bites can be very dangerous leading to some horrible scarring and at times (not often) causes death. It is said their bites are worse than the black widow. They are small but if you found this around your house I would check beds before gettin to them at night. Thats when most bites accure. Hope this helps.

Beautiful image but caution getting so close. Those Brown Recluse are starting to turn up a lot. The bites don't heal and are known to become gangrenous. I know a person who was bit. He almost lost his leg. The wound took most of that year to heal and then only with continuous antibiotics and lazer treatments.

I would say slave's identification could be spot on. In South Africa the colours differ somewhat but the markings on the thorax looks the same. Great macro by the way!

I concur with all the above. If you have boxes or newspapers stacked up, get rid of them. They love to hide in those as well as clothes and shoes in your closet. I am actually very surprised you have not run across this spider before since you live in the woods. I have seen the results of a bite and it's not pretty. I saw a person once that received a bite on the tip of her finger. Eventually she lost her from from the elbow down. My guess is, the one pictured is a female possibly about to lay eggs. I have seen many of these and some do not have the large back ends. I usually notice dead ones around one similar the yours. I think maybe they kill the male after their "pleasure"..lol Commonly known as the fiddle back here in Oklahoma. That is the one thing that will always be present. Look closely, you will see the marking.

My sincere thanks to all who commented and passed on such useful info. I have since followed up with on-line research and there is no doubt about it being a Brown Recluse. I have never encountered one before and the large back-end with the strange bluish purple coloration and thrown me off and untill others got me to see what I was looking at, even the violin marking did not stand out as fiddle shaped in my eye, lol. In spite of not knowing what it was, I had a strong sense that it was a spider I would never voluntarily let get on me, lol. In a related ( maybe) story, let me tell you what happened about 2 months ago. I awoke at about 4 in the morning with a sharp pin point burning sensation under my right arm. I thought I had been stung by a wasp or scorpion. I jumped up, turned on the lights, and checked the bedding but found nothing. I went to the bathroom and raised my right arm and by turning my body a little sideways, I could see a small red dot that was the point where the burning sensation had occured. I returned to the bedroom, removed and shook out the bedding then went back to sleep. The next day when I got up, I could feel a lump under that arm and when I looked in the mirror again, this time the small pin point dot was as big as the head of a kitchen match and black. An area around this spot (as big as my open hand) was red and swollen and itched. Over the course of several days, the spot stayed about the same and the itching went away but the lump remained and seemed to get harder and a little bigger. By the end of about 10 days, all redness was gone, the lump was noticably smaller and the black spot had started to heal. Within 3 weeks of the bite/sting ? all was over except for a small scar where the original point was. I really was unsure what had caused it. Wasp stings and bee stings usually cause me to experience prolonged intense itching over a very large swollen area. Neither the itching nor the swelling from this occurance caused much discomfort. I never even considered a spider bite as the cause for some reason, lol. Although the pic I posted was not taken in my house, it was not far away and after reading about these spiders and their bites, I am pretty sure I was bitten by a Brown Recluse but was lucky enough to have received very little toxin. Suffice to say, I am now informed amd aware and able to recognize this Spider, lol. From what I read and saw on-line, I was very lucky if indeed that is what happened. Some of these bites are VERY VERY nasty. Thanks again for the info to all who offered it.. Lee

Dear One, Please take extra caution. My daughtert-in-laws Father was bitten by one and the Dr. said that they would have to remove his leg, he refused the diagnosis and treatment while the ulcer grew bigger and as he lost more and more weight. Finally one day in his Oklahoma home, he sat down in his chair and died. Too much poison in his system and too much rapid weight loss. Yard work, garages and things laying around should be examined carefully. The yard "bombs" and those used in the house might be advisable. Much concern for you welfare with big HUGS!!!!

wow, fantastic!!

Well, I have learned a valuable lesson this evening. A lovely capture nonetheless. :)