Subject: Spider identification please
Location: SW WI, USA, bluffs near river
January 4, 2017 2:42 pm
This is a picture I took in Mid fall 2016.
It was taken in SW WISCONSIN USA. Vernon County.
It was found on a house (doorjam leading into house) that is built on the bluffs which surround the banks of the MISSIPPI RIVER.
Please help identify.
Signature: Angela Zitzner Karwoski
Dear Angela,
Your Spider is a member of the genus Dolomedes in the Nursery Web Spider family. Dolomedes species are commonly called Fishing Spiders or Dock Spiders because they are generally found near bodies of water, and though fish do not constitute their primary source of food, Fishing Spiders are capable of walking on the surface of water and then diving below the surface for protection or to capture aquatic prey, including small fish.