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 There is a group of spiders in our area that live predominantly around water. They are quite capable of running about on the surface, and feed on animals that live at or near the interface of water and air, such as bugs, small fish, frogs, and the like. These are the Fishing Spiders of the genus Dolomedes, Family Pisauridae (members of which are commonly called the Nursery Web Spiders).
Since they run and float about on the surface, they are called Raft Spiders in England. They simply spread their weight over the eight points of contact with the water and thus don’t break the surface tension at the surface. They are, at their wish, capable of going under water, but this is not typical. When they do this, a thin pocket of air forms between the body and the tip of the body hairs. This is their “scuba tank” used during the dive. They have been observed diving to catch small fish and tadpoles.
As mentioned, they belong to the Nursery Web Spider family. Fishing Spiders lay their eggs in spherical egg cases (like the Wolf Spiders) and carry them in their jaws (like the Huntsman Spiders). When the eggs are ready to hatch, they find a bush and pull leaves together and construct a very dense nursery web in which they place the egg case. When the eggs hatch, the baby spiders distribute themselves about the nursery web and stay there for a week or so. The mother is very nearby, frequently on the surface of the nursery web, standing guard. It is common to see Fishing Spider nursery webs constructed in leafless twigs over water.
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