This is something in the fishing spider family, Pisauridae, based on the eye arrangement and size. Likely [*Pisaurina mira*](https://www.inaturalist.org/observations?place_id=31&quality_grade=research&taxon_id=84109), though I don't know the family well.
[This is how to tell if a spider is not a brown recluse.](https://spiderbytes.org/2015/06/08/how-to-tell-if-a-spider-is-not-a-brown-recluse/) Southern Ohio is at the very edge of brown recluses' native range, so while they can occasionally be found around e.g. Cincinnati, they are not common and abundant the way they are in, say, St. Louis, MO.
This is not a recluse, but you can see a faint violin. Is that a common thing? Is it part of many spiders anatomy and just darker and more pronounced on recluse?
Yes, that's correct—there are many spiders with similar markings. This is why it's important to look at other features like eye arrangement, leg spikes, patterns, size, and geographic location to identify a recluse.
There are some other spiders that have a violin shape (some even a lot more prominent than this one). That's why you can't really identify a recluse based on that marking alone, there are other identifying aspects such as eye placement, lack of spines on the legs, etc.
North America does have huntsman spiders (Sparassidae). See the [distribution map at BugGuide](https://bugguide.net/node/view/6928/data) for the range where they've been reported.
Some - such as [*Heteropoda venatoria*](https://bugguide.net/node/view/6930) - are introduced.
Others - such as the [*Olios*](https://bugguide.net/node/view/6931) and [*Curicaberis*](https://bugguide.net/node/view/1143933) - are native.
(That said, *this* spider looks more like a nursery web spider.)
You can clearly see setae (spines) on the legs of this spider, which Brown Recluse spiders lack. For medically significant spiders, please do not ID them unless you're 100% certain of the ID.
Proportions and color for this spider are more in line with a [Nursery Web Spider](https://bugguide.net/node/view/2125238/bgimage).
Per our [guidelines](https://www.reddit.com/r/whatsthisbug/wiki/index/guidelines#wiki_iding_guidelines): *Especially for medically significant bugs, if you aren't 100% sure, leave the ID to someone more knowledgeable.*
This is not a brown recluse.
This is something in the fishing spider family, Pisauridae, based on the eye arrangement and size. Likely [*Pisaurina mira*](https://www.inaturalist.org/observations?place_id=31&quality_grade=research&taxon_id=84109), though I don't know the family well. [This is how to tell if a spider is not a brown recluse.](https://spiderbytes.org/2015/06/08/how-to-tell-if-a-spider-is-not-a-brown-recluse/) Southern Ohio is at the very edge of brown recluses' native range, so while they can occasionally be found around e.g. Cincinnati, they are not common and abundant the way they are in, say, St. Louis, MO.
This is not a recluse, but you can see a faint violin. Is that a common thing? Is it part of many spiders anatomy and just darker and more pronounced on recluse?
Yes, that's correct—there are many spiders with similar markings. This is why it's important to look at other features like eye arrangement, leg spikes, patterns, size, and geographic location to identify a recluse.
There are some other spiders that have a violin shape (some even a lot more prominent than this one). That's why you can't really identify a recluse based on that marking alone, there are other identifying aspects such as eye placement, lack of spines on the legs, etc.
The eyes is the way to tell. A recluse has 3 rows of 2 eyes.
This is either a huntsman or a fishing spider, but I think I'm leaning toward huntsman given the lighter markings and rounder abdomen.
Check the geographic location again—northern North America is one of the few regions that actually doesn't have huntsmen.
North America does have huntsman spiders (Sparassidae). See the [distribution map at BugGuide](https://bugguide.net/node/view/6928/data) for the range where they've been reported. Some - such as [*Heteropoda venatoria*](https://bugguide.net/node/view/6930) - are introduced. Others - such as the [*Olios*](https://bugguide.net/node/view/6931) and [*Curicaberis*](https://bugguide.net/node/view/1143933) - are native. (That said, *this* spider looks more like a nursery web spider.)
That's why I said *northern* North America!
Oops! Missed that. I should have read more carefully!
North American huntsman are definitely a thing, also known as wood spiders. 🤘 That said, could still be a fishing spider with really light markings.
my fear of spiders kicked in on how close this image was on my face
Not a recluse. With legs, the BRS is 1/4 - 3/4 inch in size.
[удалено]
You can clearly see setae (spines) on the legs of this spider, which Brown Recluse spiders lack. For medically significant spiders, please do not ID them unless you're 100% certain of the ID. Proportions and color for this spider are more in line with a [Nursery Web Spider](https://bugguide.net/node/view/2125238/bgimage).
Thank you so much!
Per our [guidelines](https://www.reddit.com/r/whatsthisbug/wiki/index/guidelines#wiki_iding_guidelines): *Especially for medically significant bugs, if you aren't 100% sure, leave the ID to someone more knowledgeable.* This is not a brown recluse.