The diver spiders (Argyroneta aquatica) live underwater, but have a "diving suit", which provides them with oxygen. Basically, they weave their webs on the surface of the water and then collect the air bubbles in order to fill their "diving suit" from below the water level. They need to surface once a day to get extra oxygen.
Steps
Step 1. Learn what a diving spider is
Here are some key features.
-
Physical characteristics:
It is 8 to 15 mm long.
-
Poisonous:
Yup.
-
Lives:
in northern and central Europe.
-
Food:
This spider captures its prey underwater, and kills with a venomous bite. It feeds on aquatic insects and crustaceans.
Part 1 of 3: Spot a Diving Spider
Both males and females have a light color tending to dark yellow-brown, but they never stay on the surface of the water for long, so it may be difficult to see them.
Step 1. Look at the abdomen if you can
When the spider is in the water, the abdomen has a silvery sheen, much like mercury.
Step 2. Know that if the spider continues to whiz in and out of the water, or stays on lily pads or other vegetation for a while, it is likely a diving spider
Step 3. Look for a green spotted patch, and sometimes prominent green streaks on the back
Step 4. Look at the legs, they are long and thin
Part 2 of 3: Recognizing the Habitat
You can find the diver spider in fresh, but not current, waters.
Step 1. Look for it in ponds, lakes and streams
Part 3 of 3: Treating a Bite
The diver spider is part of the funnel web spider family, and is poisonous, but its bite almost exclusively causes inflammation and fever. It hardly bites you, unless you hold your hand in the water right where it lives. Diver spiders have very strong fangs that can penetrate human skin, and their bite can be very painful. If you get bitten, be sure to do the following:
Step 1. Wash the area with warm soapy water
Step 2. Rinse off the soap and blot the wound with a clean cloth
Step 3. Apply an antiseptic cream to the bite area
Advice
- Be patient when trying to observe a diving spider. It can stay underwater for long periods of time, and when it rises to the surface to collect air bubbles, it dives back into the water very quickly.
- It typically lives for about 2 years, and is preyed upon by fish, frogs and herons.
- He can walk on water. It has hairs on the tips of its legs that allow it to "float".
