Huge spider with hairy legs
Last Saturday I saw this arachnid on a tree in the park near my house. It was about 2 m above the ground next to a large cavity, which was probably its hideout.
It's not possible to judge its size without a scale. Here is a picture of it with a ruler I was able to bring near it without making it run away. Its body was about 2.5 cm long.
It may have been the largest spider I have seen outside a zoo. Here is a close-up of the head.
I have posted another picture on BugGuide.Net. Hopefully, somebody will put a name on it.
6 comments:
Hi Aydin,
This is a Dolomedes Fishing Spider. I learned that from reading the site what'sthatbug.com to which I am a regular contributor. (Believe it or not, they even have a section for snails, slugs and other mollusks!) Anyway, take a look at [http://entomology.uark.edu/museum/dolomede.html] It looks like Dolomedes tenebrosus.
Best wishes,
Susan J. Hewitt
Susan, yes, someone on BugGuide.net also suggested that it is a Dolomedes. Thanks for the link. It says there that "They run freely over water in pursuit of prey, including small fish...and aquatic insects." I would love to watch one of them catch a fish. That would be fantastic.
Yes, I would love to see that too! I have never seen a Dolomedes, but I love spiders. Talking about water spiders, years ago back in England I kept a diving bell spider Argyroneta aquatica in a freshwater aquarium which contained lots of plants and many other local critters. It was really fascinating. Take a look at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Argyroneta
best,
Susan
I am pretty sure I found one of these dead on our dining room floor this morning. It was impressively large. This isn't as odd as it sounds -- we have a small pond right next to the house, and a lake next to that.
i think it's called a wolf spider. see this link: http://www.hgic.umd.edu/_media/documents/SpidersinMarylandHG9pfv.pdf
No, it's not a wolf spider (family Lycosidae). It's a Dolomedes (family Pisauridae).
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