National Museum of Natural Science

This fishing spider (Dolomedes raptor) is in the family Pisauridae. It does not build a web to catch prey. Instead, it ambushes fish or insects in the water from along a stream bank. Due to the many fine hairs on its body and the ends of its legs, the fishing spider can stand on the surface of the water for a short time or dive into the water.

When mature, the female measures around 3 cm in length. Males are similar in size but have distinctive hairy white spots on the dorsal carapace.

Fishing spider (adult female)