dolomedes

great pic, ready to pounce

we dont have this one in the uk. only dolomedes fimbriatus and plantarious the latter being protected by law. how common are these in the USA and how big do they grow? in the uk dolomedes is the biggest spider reaching a five inch leg span. some tegenaria can beat that but are more slightly built.

A 5 inch legspan is bloody huge!
Dolomedes tenebrosus may reach over 3 inches in span with a body length of only one inch. Having recently moved to South Ontario, this is a new and exciting species for me. In Alberta, the only dolomedes are the six spotted fishing spider. Once, I came across an isolated rain puddle in some woods that contained around 10 large females amongst hundreds of newly hatched spiderlings and smaller males. From my experience, both species are elusive and populations are local.

both uk species of dolomedes are local in the uk. d.fimbriatus is more widesread but commoner in the south. The only location I know of in the northern part is in wem, shrophire. d.plantarius is only found in norfolk, suffolk and one site only in east sussex. it is protected by law. The fens (marshland) of norfolk and suffolk are where the really big ones are found. they are knon as raft spiders there because they look like rafts on the water. Body size is usually not more than 22mm. The fens are also haunted by a ghostly black devil dog knon as Black Shuck, so you might get more than you bargain for!