Dolomedes raptor
White patches on this nocturnal fishing spider's front legs may lure prey closer while also helping males find mates in the dark.
| Where | Streams and paddy fields across East Asia |
|---|---|
| Size | Female 22 to 27 mm, male 12 to 15 mm body length |
| When | February to November |
The body is an overall bluish dark brown, with the tip of the abdomen a slightly brighter brown marked by regularly placed white spots, and similar pale marks scattered along the legs.
It hunts without a web along the still edges of streams, ponds and paddy fields from lowland to mountains, running across the water's surface or diving beneath it after aquatic insects and small fish, while females carry their round egg sac beneath the abdomen.
Traits
Habitat
Wetland
Colour
Brown, White, Grey
Active
Night
To people
Not dangerous to people; it is more often noticed running across still water than encountered on land.
Activity through the year
Often confused with
This similarly large fishing spider usually shows a paler, warm brown base color with variable dark striping, rather than the consistently bluish dark brown tone and white-spotted legs of Dolomedes raptor.
Questions
Is Dolomedes raptor dangerous to people?
Not dangerous to people; it is more often noticed running across still water than encountered on land.
When can you see Dolomedes raptor?
Dolomedes raptor can be seen from February to November, at night.
Plate retouched from a photo by Jay Paroline, CC BY 4.0, iNaturalist Licence
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Spiders›Nursery web spiders›Dolomedes
Last updated 2026-09-27. Every entry is checked against published sources.