The six-spotted fishing spider--

Dolomedes triton

More commonly known as the six-spotted fishing spider, this spider can be found almost everywhere in North America, in South america sometimes too. Females, without legs, can be up to 20 mm long (.79 in), and with legs up to 90 mm (2.4 in). Males, without legs, are 9-13 mm (.35-.51 in) long. I would tell you how big males are with legs but none of my sources said, and even when I googled it I couldn't find anything. :( But I can surely continue this post while still missing that piece of information. This spider is called such because it has six spots on its back separated into three rows of two, as seen above. It can be a green-ish color or grey-ish and also brown-ish. As with all fishing spiders, they prefer to live in a place where water is abundant, because it will eat minnows, tadpoles, and also insects that live near water, such as mosquitoes and dragonflies. They are able to walk on the water because their eight legs even dispute the weight of the spider, making each leg lighter than the water, therefore floating and walking is a natural ability. Eggs are lain in the summer, and the female will encase the egg sac in a "nursery web" until they hatch. Sexual Cannibalism in present in this species. **The picture in the top left is the eye arrangement pattern of Dolomedes.**

Sources:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dolomedes_triton#Distribution_and_habitat

http://bugguide.net/node/view/1990

http://hr-rna.com/RNA/Spider%20pages/Fishing%20spider%20page.htm

Dark Fishing Spider--

Dolomedes tenebrosus

Dolomedes tenebrosus, also called the dark fishing spider, is a medium to large sized fishing spider. Males, without legs, are 7 - 13 mm (about .2 - .5 in), and females, also excluding legs, can be around 15 - 26 mm (approx. .2 - 1 in). Including legs, they can be (male and female alike) 50 - 90 mm, or 2 - 3.5 inches. They aren't fatal, and symptoms of the bite are quite similar to those of a bee sting. But as some people are more sensitive, and sometimes allergic, to spiders, they may experience harsher reactions. The bodies of this spider - males and females don't really differ from each other other than size, and, of course, gender - are brownish-grey, with lighter brown and black stripes going down the legs. Like a lot of spiders in this family, it will cocoon things in its web, sometimes even trees!

Sources:

http://bugguide.net/node/view/2011

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dolomedes_tenebrosus

http://ento.psu.edu/extension/factsheets/fishing-spider

Nursery web spiders, fishing spiders--

Family Pisauridae

Nursery web spiders and fishing spiders are in the same family, which is the family Pisauridae. Sexual cannibalism (when the female eats the male after mating) is common in the family, so the male will give the female a gift before to ease her hunger a little bit, so that the male will have more time to mate before the female gets hungry again. An inedible gift, such as an exoskeleton of a bug, means the least amount of time, while a horsefly (Mmmm, delicious... NOT!), which is a treat for spiders of these sorts, will ensure more--but not infinite--time for the spiders to reproduce before the female eats him. They can walk on water, and will sometimes dive under to get tadpoles, small fish, and sometimes worms. On dry land, they will eat any insect that gets ensnared in their web. It closely resembles wolf spiders, although one difference is the eye pattern of each. Nursery web spiders have four eyes on the bottom forming a straight line and four on the top in a sort of U shape. Wolf spiders have eight eyes as well, although they have two large, main eyes, four other ones on the bottom forming a downward curve, and two smaller ones on the top that seem like oval-ish slits. For more information about their eye arrangements, click here. Females, once the egg sac is laid, will carry it with her by using her fangs. When it is nearing the time for the eggs to hatch, she will suspend it off of a web until they hatch, and will remain there until all of her spiderlings have dispersed. pictures are right here, too, if you are interested in other photos than what I have shown above.

Sources:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nursery_web_spider

http://www.cirrusimage.com/spider.htm

http://www.dpughphoto.com/spiders.htm

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/11/15/nursery-web-spiders-mating-gifts_n_1095395.html

The Banded argiope--

Argiope trifasciata

Argiope trifasciata is called such because of the black, white, and yellow bands on it's back. In fact, trifasciata means "three-striped" in Latin. You know, is you input "three-striped" into the Google Translate™ bar from English to Latin, you will receive something sounding very close to "trifasciata." The banded argiope has a darker underside than it's back. Females can be up to (not counting legs) 1 inch long, and males only up to 1/4 of an inch, also excluding legs. The legs have two pairs jutting out forwards and another two pairs extending backwards. Like all orb weavers, it has eight eyes, four main eyes in the middle of it's face and four others, two smaller ones on each side of it's head. Males mature at a different time than the females, in the summer, while females mature in fall. This species prefers drier climates than it's fellow orb weavers and argiopes. Males will die shortly after mating, while females die at the first frost after laying her eggs. Some females might lay more than one egg sac. Egg sacs are flat on one side, rounded on the other, much like a kettle drum. The prefer to build their webs closer to the ground than other spiders. You want to see some pictures? They can be found right here! Yippee!! Yahoo! Yay! Yeehaw!! Go argiopes! Hehe. Well, just remember, that isn't all there is to know about banded argiopes, so go do some research of your own! Also, it would be fun to take a little nature walk and see what plants, animals, and bugs you can identify!

Sources:

http://www.wildsideholidays.com/natural/insects-and-creepy-crawlies/91-spiders-etc/199-argiope.html

http://bugguide.net/node/view/2015

http://ento.psu.edu/extension/factsheets/banded-garden-spider

http://www.cirrusimage.com/spider_argiope_trifasciata.htm

http://www.spiders.us/species/argiope-trifasciata/

Black and yellow argiope

Argiope aurantia

The black and yellow argiope is another orb weaver, and might possibly be confused with the golden silk orb weaver, but actually are quite different. Every night the female black and yellow argiope will eat her web and build a new one in the morning. Both genders are black with yellow and/or red stripes on it's back. The male will wander around looking for a mate in the early fall. The male will build a smaller web near the female's and will try to seduce the female by plucking the silk strands on her web. He then travels up her web, a safety line ready, in case the female tries to attack. The female will lay her egg sac in the fall and will usually die at the first frost. The babies will hatch from their eggs in the fall, maybe a few weeks after being lain. They will stay in the egg sac until spring, when they come out and travel by ballooning* to a different area. Females are significantly larger than the males, as with most spiders, males can be (excluding the legs) up to 1/3 of an inch long, and females can reach up to (also excluding the legs) 1.1 inches long. They will eat most any insect or bug that is smaller than them, although they have many predators too, such as the Carolina Chickadee (will try to do a post in the summer), the Striped skunk, the common yellowthroat, many other birds, some types of ducks, and a few large insects. Want to see some more of these big boys? Neat pictures can be found at this website. And, according to the people at carolinanature.com, argiope is pronounced ar-GUY-oh-pee. Who knew? Definitely not me. Wanna check out some more photos? More are located right here! Click it! You know you wanna... Just one more tidbit of information: this spider, like most orb weavers, is harmless to humans. Well, stay tuned, because next week is going to have EVEN MORE ORB WEAVERS!!! Yippee!

Sources:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Argiope_aurantia

http://www.fcps.edu/islandcreekes/ecology/black_and_yellow_argiope.htm

http://bugguide.net/node/view/2025

*Ballooning is when a spiderling will use a strand of silk to float in the air and carry it farther than they're able to walk.

Golden Silk Orb Weaver--

Nephila clavipes

The golden silk orb weaver--also known as the "banana spider," because of it's shape--is one of the largest--and the creepiest, I have to say--spiders I've heard of. As you can see, it is very big, seeing as it's about as big as an adult's hand. And to add to the creepy-meter, it's elbows are furry. A lot of times, because the spider is so big, when people see it, they want to kill it. But this spider is beneficiary to your house. It loves to eat mosquitoes, flies, sometimes even other spiders! So, instead of smushing it, get a long stick, and slowly wind the web around the stick, in a spiraling motion. The spider will follow it's web, and once the spider is on the stick, quickly move it to a spot that pleases you. The females of this species will sometimes eat their webs when they are done with it. And this spider is venomous, but not lethal. It usually causes redness, swelling, and itching, much like the reactions you get fro a black widow's bite, although it isn't as potent. In the fall and winter, the females with lay their egg sacs on a tree that is near the webs. The egg sacs are about an inch in diameter. The females' bodies are about two inches long, and with legs outstretched, they can be 4-6" wide. The males are noticeably smaller than the females, with their bodies being only 1/3 of an inch long. Crazy, huh? The Golden Silk Orb Weavers are called such because the adults' silk is a beautiful golden color. Did you know?: One million female orb weavers from Madagascar made this extraordinarily unique cloth from spider silk. I'm simply astonished at the amazing beauty of this wonderful piece of art. Wow, just wow. Who knew? Well, someone in the late 1890s thought they would try it, and they wove only a small piece, almost nothing compared to the vast size of that wonder. Well, I believe I am done for the day! See you next week! Buh-bye.

Spiny-Backed Orb Weaver--

Gasteracantha elipsoides

The spiny-backed orb weaver (you can obviously tell why it is called such) is quite easy to identify, as the spines on it's back are uniquely conspicuous. Spiny-backed orb weavers--also spelled Spinybacked, and Spiny Backed--usually have at least two colors on them, and are usually red, white, yellow, black and/or orange. It spans all across the southern United States from North Carolina to southern California. It is usually 0.08 in. to 0.4 inches, and you can see a comparison here. Like most orb weavers, the adults lay their eggs in fall-winter, die in the afterwards, and let their eggs hatch in the later. Although males have been found in every month--except December and January--they are most common in October and November. Females are found year-round, but they are most common in October-January. They are poisonous, but not poisonous to harm a human. Probably not even harmful enough to hurt a gerbil. Not saying that that I tried it, though... In October-January, the females will lay their eggs on the underside of a leaf, much like many butterflies do. The eggs hatch after about two weeks, after which for a few days they remain in a pink and white stage until molting into their adult figures, but still small, as are their webs. In late summer-early fall both their webs and bodies grow significantly in size. They live their boring lives until October, when they begin to mate. Webs can be from 1-7 yards from the ground.

Sources:

http://entnemdept.ufl.edu/creatures/beneficial/g_cancriformis.htm

http://www.insectidentification.org/insect-description.asp?identification=Spiny-Backed-Orb-Weaver