# Fishing spider care



## Spiderguy47 (Mar 29, 2018)

Found a small fishing spider today. I'd like to care for it but I don't know how. Its currently 1 inch legspan.


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## Ungoliant (Mar 29, 2018)

Spiderguy47 said:


> Found a small fishing spider today. I'd like to care for it but I don't know how. Its currently 1 inch legspan.


Which species of fishing spider? If it's something like _Dolomedes tenebrosus_ or _D. albineus_, you can set it up similar to how you would set up a wolf spider. Include some vertical spaces, where the spider can lie in wait for food.


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## Chris LXXIX (Mar 29, 2018)

I bet everything I have that you *didn't* found an _Argyroneta aquatica_!


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## Spiderguy47 (Mar 29, 2018)

I dont know which species. I live in Virginia and I often see wolf spiders so I guess it does thrive in a similar environment. Here's a picture of it:

Reactions: Like 1


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## Liquifin (Mar 29, 2018)

Looks like a Amaurobius ferox to me, but I could be wrong. If it is, it's not a fishing spider.

Reactions: Agree 2


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## Spiderguy47 (Mar 29, 2018)

It looks like a smaller version of this female that I found last year:


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## Liquifin (Mar 29, 2018)

Spiderguy47 said:


> It looks like a smaller version of this female that I found last year:
> View attachment 271062


Im 100% certain what you found is a Amaurobius ferox compared to this pic of the female. Here where I live we have two species, the Dolomedes _tenebrosus and Dolomedes triton._


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## Spiderguy47 (Mar 29, 2018)

I know very little about these spiders, that female was the first I've ever seen. They seem to be more reclusive than wolf spiders because I see the wolves everywhere, including inside my house.


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## Liquifin (Mar 29, 2018)

Spiderguy47 said:


> I know very little about these spiders, that female was the first I've ever seen. They seem to be more reclusive than wolf spiders because I see the wolves everywhere, including inside my house.


Fishing spiders don't really live long IME, they can be kept terrestrially (bad idea IMO), but never seen anyone done it before. But an ideal fishing spider enclosure is 50/50 half land, half water. Females during breeding seasons in July they breed mainly close to water, which females after breeding, make eggsacs and usually carry them around, which they become defensive and almost never eat until sac hatches. Males typically live 1 year but if kept right he can survive to 1 and half years. Females can live for about 2 years MAXIMUM.


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## Dennis Nedry (Mar 29, 2018)

I've had mine for about a year now, I keep it in a vertical container with water about 3" deep and long, thin rocks protruding from the water. The spider just sits there either on top of the rock or against the side with legs on the water



Spiderguy47 said:


> View attachment 271060





Spiderguy47 said:


> View attachment 271062


I'm no expert by those look like very different spiders to me


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## Spiderguy47 (Mar 29, 2018)

It seems odd that I've seen any if they stay near water. There aren't any ponds or lakes nearby, I found this sling under a rock in a pretty dry area.


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## Liquifin (Mar 29, 2018)

Dennis Nedry said:


> I've had mine for about a year now, I keep it in a vertical container with water about 3" deep and long, thin rocks protruding from the water. The spider just sits there either on top of the rock or against the side with legs on the water


Interesting, based on how long you had it, I'm assming its female right? if so how big is the legspan?? Sorry i'm just interested.


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## Liquifin (Mar 29, 2018)

Spiderguy47 said:


> It seems odd that I've seen any if they stay near water. There aren't any ponds or lakes nearby, I found this sling under a rock in a pretty dry area.


what you found is Amaurobius ferox also known as the black lace weaver, they are spiders that can be found under crevices or small open spaces. Females grow bigger than males. Which males are generally a little smaller than the females. This species is one of "those" species where the babies eat the mother after they hatch.


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## Dennis Nedry (Mar 29, 2018)

Liquifin said:


> Interesting, based on how long you had it, I'm assming its female right? if so how big is the legspan?? Sorry i'm just interested.


Female for sure, moulted twice in my care. Legspan is probably about 10cm. Bright orange abdomen and a brick red carapace


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## Spiderguy47 (Mar 29, 2018)

Dennis Nedry said:


> I'm no expert by those look like very different spiders to me


Its hard to see in the picture but the sling has pretty much identical markings on the legs, I'm not to sure about the abdomen though beacuse the female had a very small abdomen due to the fact she was carrying an egg sac.



Liquifin said:


> what you found is Amaurobius ferox also known as the black lace weaver, they are spiders that can be found under crevices or small open spaces.


Should I give it a flat piece of bark with space underneath or a standard bark hide?


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## Liquifin (Mar 29, 2018)

Spiderguy47 said:


> Its hard to see in the picture but the sling has pretty much identical markings on the legs, I'm not to sure about the abdomen though beacuse the female had a very small abdomen due to the fact she was carrying an egg sac.
> 
> 
> Should I give it a flat piece of bark with space underneath or a standard bark hide?


anything will work, as long as it has a crevice or a small open space it will do fine. Some tend to wander out more compared to others, but it really comes down to the specimen itself.


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## Spiderguy47 (Mar 29, 2018)

Did a quick search and I was definitely wrong about them being them same spider. That female was almost as big as my hand and this spider is about the size of my thumbnail and full grown.


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## Dennis Nedry (Mar 29, 2018)

Spiderguy47 said:


> Its hard to see in the picture but the sling has pretty much identical markings on the legs, I'm not to sure about the abdomen though beacuse the female had a very small abdomen due to the fact she was carrying an egg sac.


Lots of spiders have similar banded leg markings, these two have entirely different carapace shapes and have a very different build


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## Liquifin (Mar 29, 2018)

Spiderguy47 said:


> Did a quick search and I was definitely wrong about them being them same spider. That female was almost as big as my hand and this spider is about the size of my thumbnail and full grown.


what you refer to as "this spider" is a Amaurobius ferox 100% certain of that. Dolomedes tenebrosus are large and has a leg span between 4''-6'' which was the picture of the female that you saw with the egg sac. So in short, what you found is not a Dolomedes spp. at all, but a Amaurobius ferox.


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## Spiderguy47 (Mar 29, 2018)

Thanks for the advice, I will probably release it so that it can breed. Any ideas when I should start looking for an actual fishing spider? I'd like to find one but considering I've only ever seen one I'm not sure that I will.


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## Liquifin (Mar 29, 2018)

Spiderguy47 said:


> Thanks for the advice, I will probably release it so that it can breed. Any ideas when I should start looking for an actual fishing spider? I'd like to find one but considering I've only ever seen one I'm not sure that I will.


Fishing spiders are mainly nocturnal, but are fast as a huntsman spider IME. Night time near any bodies of water is the best place to search. Males are generally most active at this time, and couples of males and females are best found at night. Best advice, if you try to catch one, note that they are faster to run away than you catching them. Back when I tried to catch one, which was a huge female around 4" (big in my area), I nearly died when it bolted on me and jumped onto the fallen branches in the water. It felt like a small rock hitting my waist with "actual weight" due to the speed impact. You can find them in the daytime as well near bodies of water, but are not seen as much as compared to night time. June and July is when they breed like crazy, that is *"THE BEST TIME"* to find them. But its better to catch them as slings and grow them out to adults, to enjoy having some time with them as they are not long lived IMO and IME.

Reactions: Helpful 1


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## Ungoliant (Mar 29, 2018)

Spiderguy47 said:


> I dont know which species. I live in Virginia and I often see wolf spiders so I guess it does thrive in a similar environment. Here's a picture of it:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


That's not a fishing spider. It's a hacklemesh weaver (Amaurobiidae).

You will want to set this one up for web building.


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