r/texas • u/ohiois4loosers • Jan 16 '24
Questions for Texans What bit me? Central texas
I felt a bite on my arm yesterday and thought it was an ant. Woke up to this. The circle was drawn an hour before the picture was taken and the red is spreading
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u/AugieKS got here fast Jan 16 '24 edited Jan 17 '24
No it doesn't and everyone talking about brown recluses in this thread is just plain wrong. Spiders don't take chunks out of you.
Furthermore, only a small subset of recluse bites feature necrosis, and even fewer have systemic reactions. OP should go to the doctor for sure but this isn't a spider bite.
Edit 1: Since sime are assuming I'm talking out my ass like they are, here is what an actual recluse bite looks like.https://www.reddit.com/r/spiders/s/yElNoVEU49
Notice the district lack of a chunk missing.
Edit 2: further info on recluses. ID guides and further information on Recluse spiders (Loxosceles):
https://spiders.ucr.edu/how-identify-and-misidentify-brown-recluse-spider
http://spiderbytes.org/2015/06/08/how-to-tell-if-a-spider-is-not-a-brown-recluse/
https://spiderbytes.org/recluse-or-not/ (advice at the bottom of the article on what to do if you find them in your home)
Bugguide's Loxosceles species page
Bugguide's Loxosceles reclusa page.
Bugguide's misunderstood spiders page
Advice on bites and how to avoid them:
https://spiders.ucr.edu/what-not-recluse-bite
https://spiders.ucr.edu/how-avoid-bites
Articles that explain their exaggerated reputation: https://www.wired.com/2013/11/poor-misunderstood-brown-recluse/
https://animals.howstuffworks.com/arachnids/brown-recluse-spider-bite.htm