Some 54 species of Loxosceles are known to occur in North America, Central America and the West Indies. In the U.S., the brown recluse spider is considered to be the most widespread and most important species of the group. Of lesser importance are the Arizona recluse, the Texas recluse and desert recluse. The natural range of the brown recluse spider is from southern Texas north to Nebraska, and east to eastern Tennessee and Alabama. It appears to be most highly concentrated in the south-central portion of the Mid-west. The brown recluse spider is nocturnal and searches for food such as silverfish, cockroaches, crickets or other soft-bodied species. At first light, wandering spiders will normally return to their retreat of an irregularly spun, off-white web with their prey. Males wander farther than females and are the sex that most commonly crawls into shoes, trousers or other clothing. Bites occur when a spider hiding in clothing or bedding is accidentally trapped against the skin. The thin, wispy webs of the brown recluse may be seen in drawers, boxes, shelf, corners, under furniture or other undisturbed areas.