Fishing Spider (Pisauridae: Dolomedes),
J.W., Sealy TX
 The
photo on the right
(enlarged on the
far right to show details of the cephalothorax and abdomen) was taken by
J.W., in Sealy, Texas, on 072908. The fishing spiders are entelegyne
spiders in the family Pisauridae. In North America the pisaurids are
represented by three genera and fourteen species; N.A. fishing spiders
represent nine species in the genus Dolomedes, and are among our largest
spiders. The only species among that nine that is arboreal is the
whitebanded fishing spider (Dolomedes albineus). This leads me
to suppose this specimen to be of that species, though I have received
photos of several fishing spiders reposing on tree trunks that appear
different enough to be separate species. The whitebanded fishing spider spends most of its
time in trees, where it feeds on insects, geckos, and tree frogs. This
specimen had a legspan of more than four inches. Its carapace is
relatively unmarked, but note that the eyes are hidden within a dark
mask, and that the anterior abdomen has owlish eye markings similar
to those of the fishing spider photographed by
Shane, in Bulverde, TX on 072508, and by
Rob S., in East TX, on 110908.
*
TERMITE ENCOUNTERS *
SNAKE ENCOUNTERS * SNAKE
BITE FIRST AID *
SNAKE EXCLUSION *
SPIDER
ENCOUNTERS *
SPIDER
BITE FIRST AID *
SPIDER
EXTERMINATION
*
PUSS CATERPILLAR ENCOUNTERS *
PUSS CATERPILLAR FIRST AID *
PUSS CATERPILLAR EXTERMINATION
*
Assembled & Edited by
Jerry Cates. Questions? Corrections? Comments?
BUG
ME
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NOW!
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