A newly published study co-authored by University of South Florida alum Louis Coticchio and USF integrative biologist Deby Cassill challenges long-standing assumptions about the brown recluse spider, ...

“This research shows that brown recluse spiders aren’t the boogeyman that everyone makes them out to be,” Coticchio said.

It might not reflect well on us that a spider as aptly named as the brown recluse is so misunderstood. While many people know the truth about the brown recluse — that it is not aggressive, but a “shy, ...