THE INSECTLIBRARY FIELD GUIDES
Fishing SpiderIdentification, facts & practical guidance
Fishing spiders in Dolomedes are large hunting spiders; many are associated with water, but some regularly occur away from it.
Compiled by the InsectLibrary Team · Updated · Editorial policy
Identification and lookalikes
Look at eye arrangement and body markings, not size alone. They can resemble wolf spiders. Females carry egg sacs with their mouthparts, whereas wolf spiders usually attach the sac behind the abdomen.
Water and hunting
Aquatic prey and insects form part of the diet of water-associated species. Dark fishing spiders can occur in woodland and on structures, so finding one away from a pond does not exclude Dolomedes.
What to do next
Photograph the spider where it is, including nearby habitat. Taxonomic treatments have changed: recent sources place Dolomedes in Dolomedidae, while older records may retain Pisauridae.
Fishing Spider: species profiles
Explore 8 species profiles covered by this guide, with recorded names and available photos.
Striped Fishing Spider
Dolomedes scriptus
(c) Joshua Ebright, some rights reserved (CC BY)Okefenokee Fishing Spider
Dolomedes okefinokensis
New Mexico Fishing Spider
Dolomedes gertschi
Banded Fishing Spider
Dolomedes vittatus
Whitebanded Fishing Spider
Dolomedes albineus
Dolomedes striatus
Dolomedes striatus
Dolomedes tenebrosus
Dolomedes tenebrosus
Six-spotted Fishing Spider
Dolomedes triton
Sources and further reading
- mdc.mo.gov - aquatic spidershttps://mdc.mo.gov/discover-nature/field-guide/aquatic-spiders
References support the subject discussed here; they do not certify every imported directory record. Regional sources describe their own locations. Read our source and correction policy.