Subject: Harmless? I hope.
Location: Brampton Ontario Canada
May 29, 2017 10:32 am
Saw this in my backyard today. Located in southern Ontario, Canada.
Signature: Chris
Dear Chris,
This is a harmless Fishing Spider in the genus Dolomedes, probably a Dolomedes tenebrosus, and BugGuide lists the habitat as: “Bushes, rocks, etc., near permanent bodies of water, sometimes in dry woodlands.” Fishing Spiders are capable of walking on the surface of water and they can also dive beneath the surface to escape predators or to capture prey, including small fish. Fishing Spiders are also called Dock Spiders because they are often found on docks near water.
That is fantastic information. Thanks for the reply. Btw, I never harmed it. Let it do its business. I have seen them in the yard before and wondered what they were. This makes sense as we have a pond in our yard and woods at the back of our property so the habitat description perfectly matches our neighbourhood.
Chris