BANDED FISHING SPIDER (Dolomedes vittatus)
Air becomes trapped in the body hairs and so it becomes encased in a silvery film of air. The spiders are covered in short hydrophobic (unwettable) hairs, which also allow them to stand or run on the water, using the water surface tension. Like other spiders, Dolomedes breathes with what are called "book lungs", which is an air- filled cavity located underneath and inside their abdomen. This cavity comes in particularly useful for fishing spiders, as it opens into the air film, allowing the spiders to breathe while underwater. Of course, like a diver in a wetsuit full of air, they are naturally very buoyant and if they do not hold onto something underwater, like a rock, they immediately pop up to the surface, emerging completely dry. SEE THEM Sitting at night, or during the day on leaves, or on the water in still ponds like in Lions Nature Education Centre in Sai Kung.
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