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Dolomedes Aquaticus
''Dolomedes aquaticus'' is a Dolomedes, fishing spider that lives and hunts along the gravel banks of unforested New Zealand rivers. It prefers open riverbanks where it lives under rocks, usually less than 5 metres from the river. Its colouring allows it to blend in with river stones. Normally nocturnal, it sits and waits for its prey after dark, and can survive for short periods under the water. Taxonomy ''Dolomedes aquaticus'' was described in 1887 by Peter Goyen. Description Females have a total body length of 13–26 mm, males being smaller at 11–18 mm. The fourth leg is longest, about 36 mm in females and 33 mm in males. The cephalothorax is chocolate brown, with a supra-marginal band of yellow extending from the posterior slope to the anterior angle of the pars cephalica: falces, maxillæ, labium, and sternum chocolate-brown; legs and palpi, brown; abdomen above greenish-brown with two longitudinal rows of brown-margined yellow spots, at the sides gr ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Dolomedes
''Dolomedes'' is a genus of large spiders of the family Pisauridae. They are also known as fishing spiders, raft spiders, dock spiders or wharf spiders. Almost all ''Dolomedes'' species are semiaquatic, with the exception of the tree-dwelling '' D. albineus'' of the southeastern United States. Many species have a striking pale stripe down each side of the body. They hunt by waiting at the edge of a pool or stream, then when they detect the ripples from prey, they run across the surface to subdue it using their foremost legs, which are tipped with small claws; like other spiders they then inject venom with their hollow jaws to kill and digest the prey. They mainly eat insects, but some larger species are able to catch small fish. They can also climb beneath the water, when they become encased in a silvery film of air. "''Dolomedes''" is derived from the Greek word "δολομήδης" which means wily, deceitful. There are over a hundred species of ''Dolomedes'' throughout the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
