Nursery-web-spider
Guides
Dolomedes albineus
white-banded fishing spider, whitebanded fishing spider
Dolomedes albineus is a large nursery web spider native to the southeastern and central United States. Mature females reach approximately 23 mm in body length, males about 18 mm. The species is named for the distinctive white band immediately below the eyes and above the chelicerae, though coloration is highly variable—ranging from mottled gray to mossy green with darker markings. Unlike some fishing spiders, D. albineus is strongly associated with aquatic habitats, particularly cypress swamps and river edges, where it hunts from perches on vegetation or pilings. Females carry egg sacs in their jaws before constructing nursery webs and guarding the emerging spiderlings.
Dolomedes vittatus
Banded Fishing Spider
Dolomedes vittatus is a nursery web spider commonly known as the Banded Fishing Spider. It occurs throughout the United States. As a member of the genus Dolomedes, it is associated with aquatic and semi-aquatic habitats where it hunts prey at the water's surface. The species is among the more frequently observed fishing spiders in North America, with over 5,000 documented observations.
Pisaurina brevipes
Straight-banded Nursery Web Spider
Pisaurina brevipes is a nursery web spider found in the eastern United States and Canada. It closely resembles the more common Pisaurina mira but is distinguished by proportionally shorter legs and straighter edges on the abdominal band. Females measure 11–13 mm in body length, males approximately 10.8 mm. The species favors grasslands, bogs, and swamps, though detailed natural history remains poorly documented.
Pisaurina dubia
Pisaurina dubia is a nursery web spider in the family Pisauridae, found across the southern two-thirds of the eastern United States. It is smaller than most pisaurids, measuring 12–15 mm in body length, and overwinters as a subadult before maturing in spring. The species is distinguished by a central tuft of hair projecting from between the eyes on the cephalothorax. Females construct nursery webs in vegetation to protect their egg sacs and guard spiderlings until they disperse.
Tinus
nursery web spider
Tinus is a genus of nursery web spiders in the family Pisauridae, established by F. O. Pickard-Cambridge in 1901. The genus includes small-bodied species that are notably smaller than most other pisaurid genera such as Dolomedes and Pisaurina. Tinus peregrinus is the best-documented species, known from the southwestern United States and northern Mexico. Members of this genus prefer vertical surfaces and are often found near water edges.
Tinus peregrinus
nursery web spider
Tinus peregrinus is a small nursery web spider in the family Pisauridae, notable for being the smallest member of its family in North America. Adults reach only about 10 mm in body length, with males slightly smaller than females. The species occurs across the southwestern United States and northern Mexico, where it inhabits riparian edges and human structures near water. Unlike larger fishing spiders and nursery web spiders, T. peregrinus is rarely encountered due to its diminutive size and cryptic habits.