Dolomedes triton
| Six-spotted fishing spider | |
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| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Arachnida |
| Order: | Araneae |
| Family: | Pisauridae |
| Genus: | Dolomedes |
| Species: | D. triton |
| Binomial name | |
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Dolomedes triton (Walckenaer, 1837) |
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The six-spotted fishing spider, Dolomedes triton, is an arachnid from the nursery web spider family Pisauridae. This species is from the genus Dolomedes, the fishing spiders. This species of fishing spider is named after the mythological Greek god Triton who is the messenger of the big sea and the son of Poseidon. These spiders can be seen scampering along the water’s surface when a person walks by in which they are often referred to as dock spiders because they are often witnessed as they quickly vanish through the cracks of a boat dock.
This spider can be identified by its large size and distinctive markings. They have eight eyes with good vision and the body is grey to brown. They have a white to a pale cream colored stripe running down each side of the cephalothorax. The abdomen has many light colored spots and also has light colored lines running down the sides of the abdomen. When this species is seen from below, there are six dark spots present on the bottom of the cephalothorax in which the common name is derived. Like many spiders, this species shows sexual dimorphism. The female is larger than the male. The female is about 60 millimeters (2.4 in) long including the legs; her body length is 15–20 mm (0.59–0.79 in) and the male's body is 9–13 mm (0.35–0.51 in) long. The juvenile spiders look similar to adults but are smaller and they go through a series of molts within their lifetime to grow and reach adult size.
These spiders are native to the Western Hemisphere and can be found throughout the contiguous United States and southern Canada, more common east of the Rocky Mountains and Great Plains. They can also range into Mexico. They are semi-aquatic and live in wetland habitats such as ponds, lake shores, and they can also inhabit slow-moving streams. They can be found among vegetation, rocks and other structures near the water such as boat docks. They often dive underwater and grab onto a plant when frightened.
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Wikipedia