Common Northern Louisiana Spiders

• Three hundred species of spiders have been found in north Louisiana.spider and spider web image by Larry Ye from Fotolia.com
  
  Quite a few spiders call the northern part of Louisiana home. There are 300 varieties of spiders in Northwestern Louisiana alone, according to Louisiana State University's Museum of Life Sciences. While spiders are not uncommon in most areas, Louisiana's diverse terrain can easily play host too many varieties, ranging from small, harmless spiders to the poisonous ones.
  
  

Aphonopelma Hentzi

• The Aphonopelma Hentzi, better known as the brown tarantula, is a large, non-poisonous spider. The Aphonopelma Hentzi is about 2 inches tall, 6 inches wide, with a brown body and black legs. The female in the species can live up to 20 years, and lives primarily underground during the day. The male in the species travels during the day. The brown tarantula feeds on large insects such as beetles and crickets.
  
  

Loxosceles Reclusa

• The Loxosceles Reclusa, or brown recluse, is one of the most commonly known poisonous spiders. Brown recluse spiders exist in states surrounding the Gulf of Mexico, including Louisiana. These spiders can be identified by a distinct, violin-shaped marking across their head and thorax. Both the male and female of the species have a dark brown body and dark brown legs. The male is smaller then the female, with the female being under an inch wide and having a quarter sized leg span. Brown recluse spiders prefer dark, quiet spaces. These small spiders carry a poisonous bite.
  
  

Trachelas Tranquillus

• The Trachelas Tranquillus is a type of sac spider. The Trachelas Tranquillus has an orange or red cephalothorax and light yellow abdomen. The female of the species has a 1 inch leg span and is less then 1 inch in width. Trachelas Tranquillus do not make webs; rather they build small sac nests in which they live. Trachelas Tranquillus, like all sac spiders, are poisonous to humans. Since these spiders do come in to homes in search of food, it is a common for bites to occur. The bite of a sac spider is similar to the bite of a recluse spider. However, sac spider venom is less poisonous to humans and rarely fatal.