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Home » Guide » Arthropods (Arthropoda) » Chelicerates (Chelicerata) » Arachnids (Arachnida) » Spiders (Araneae) » True Spiders (Araneomorphae) » Entelegynae » Nursery Web Spiders (Pisauridae) » Fishing Spiders (Dolomedes) » fimbriatus group (Dolomedes fimbriatus group) » Six-spotted Fishing Spider (Dolomedes triton)

Species Dolomedes triton - Six-spotted Fishing Spider

Classification · Synonyms and other taxonomic changes · Explanation of Names · Identification · Range · See Also · Print References · Internet References · Works Cited

Six-spotted Fishing Spider - Dolomedes triton

juvenile six-spotted fishing spider - Dolomedes triton - female

Penultimate Male Six-spotted Fishing Spider - Dolomedes triton - male

Classification

Kingdom Animalia (Animals)

Phylum Arthropoda (Arthropods)

Subphylum Chelicerata (Chelicerates)

Class Arachnida (Arachnids)

Order Araneae (Spiders)

Infraorder Araneomorphae (True Spiders)

No Taxon (Entelegynae)

Family Pisauridae (Nursery Web Spiders)

Genus Dolomedes (Fishing Spiders)

No Taxon (fimbriatus group)

Species triton (Six-spotted Fishing Spider)

Synonyms and other taxonomic changes

See the World Spider Catalog.

Explanation of Names

Dolomedes triton (Walckenaer, 1837)

Greek (τριτων): named after the minor sea god, son of Poseidon.

The common name "six-spotted fishing spider" comes from the 6 dark spots on the sternum, not the spots (usually 10) visible on the dorsal abdomen.

Identification

The abdomen has a series of small paired white and/or light blue spots. The sternum is marked with six large black spots.(1) However, those black spots sometimes blend together, as seen in the image below.

This species and D. striatus appear to have striped femurs. While all other species have banded femurs. ~ Lynette 10/15/11

For additional ID guidance, please see the genus page.

Range

Thoughout the United States and southern Canada, although seldom encountered in the Rockies and Great Plains. (1)

See Also

Dolomedes striatus

D. triton is also often confused with pirate wolf spiders:

Print References

Carico, J. E., 1973. The Nearctic species of the genus Dolomedes (Araneae: Pisauridae). Bulletin Museum of Comparative Zoology Harvard 144: 435-488. (Species Description Here)

Walckenaer, C. A. (1837). Histoire naturelle des insectes. Aptères. Roret. (Original Description)

Internet References

www.canadianarachnology.org - Images and information.

iNaturalist

GBIF

Works Cited

1.	How to Know the Spiders B. J. Kaston. 1978. WCB/McGraw-Hill.

Contributed by Troy Bartlett on 16 February, 2004 - 1:20pm
Additional contributions by Lynette Elliott, cheins, Chuck Entz, Ben Coulter, kschnei, ceiseman, edanko, Nathaniel Green, chuuuuung
Last updated 28 July, 2023 - 2:32pm

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