Brown recluse violin marking?

• A. A brown crescent-shaped mark on the abdomen
• B. A blue hourglass marking on the thorax
• C. A brown violin-shaped marking on the body
• D. A white star on the carapace

Answer: (C)

The feature used to recognize a brown recluse is a brown violin-shaped patch on the front part of its body, the cephalothorax. The violin mark runs with the neck pointing toward the abdomen, which is the distinctive cue you’re looking for. The abdomen itself is usually plain, so a violin-shaped patch on the body (not the abdomen) is the best description. The other options mix up location or shape and are characteristic of different spiders (for example, the hourglass pattern is associated with widows, not recluse). So the brown violin-shaped marking on the body accurately captures the identifying feature.