Bug of the Month June 2010: Fishing Spider, probably Dolomedes scriptus

bugman

May 31st, 2010 at 5:49 pm

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Large water spider on dock
May 31, 2010
We see these big ones all summer long on the riverside docks. Can you tell what kind it is? i always try to save them, but occasionally family members will kill, claiming to have suffered awful bites. i don’t know, I was never bitten by one, so I wonder what they are….For size reference, it is sitting on a 2×6 board. Very fast, too. This one was doing something with it’s legs, so they look funny in some of the pics but it was unharmed
Thanks,
James
Fairfield, Maine, USA

Fishing Spider

Hi Frank,
Your spider is a Fishing Spider in the genus Dolomedes, probably Dolomedes scriptus based on images posted to BugGuide. Fishing Spiders are perfectly harmless, though they might be capable of biting a person. That is not something we have ever received a report about. Fishing Spiders are generally found near water, and they are capable of running across the water’s surface and even diving beneath the water and remaining for short periods of time. Some Fishing Spiders are able to catch small fish.

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