Diagnostic characters
- Compact eye group on a raised central tubercle
- Ragged fan of woolly silk radiating from a hole in stucco, brick, or siding
- Female dark grey-brown and heavy-bodied; male tan and long-legged
- Cribellum and calamistrum present
- Retreat is a persistent silk tube occupied for years
Habitat and seasonality
Exterior masonry, stucco walls, brick mortar joints, block foundations, tree bark, and rock crevices in warm regions.
Year-round in warm climates. Male wandering peaks in spring and autumn.
Medical significance
None documented. The species is frequently mistaken for a recluse, which drives unnecessary alarm.
Confusion with recluse spiders
Male Kukulcania hibernalis is one of the most commonly submitted false recluse specimens in the southern United States. It is tan, long-legged, and wanders indoors. The decisive characters are the eight eyes on a central tubercle versus six eyes in three pairs, and the presence of a woolly cribellate web fan on the exterior wall, which recluses never produce.
Families most often confused with Filistatidae
| Family | How to separate it |
|---|---|
| Sicariidae | Recluses have six eyes in three pairs, uniformly pale legs, and no cribellate silk |
| Segestriidae | Tube web spiders orient the first three leg pairs forward and have six eyes |
| Agelenidae | Funnel weavers produce smooth non-cribellate sheet silk and have projecting spinnerets |
Profiled species in this family
| Species | Scientific name | Medical significance |
|---|---|---|
| Southern House Spider | Kukulcania hibernalis | low |
References
- [1]World Spider Catalog, version 26 - Natural History Museum Bern. Accessed 2026-06-14.
- [2]Spiders of North America: An Identification Manual, 2nd ed. - American Arachnological Society. Accessed 2026-06-14.
- [3]Common Spiders of North America - University of California Press. Accessed 2026-06-14.