Diving Bell (Argyroneta aquatica)

The Diving Bell Spider is super unique! Imagine a spider that spends most of its life underwater, whether it’s resting, hunting, or even laying eggs. The only time it comes up is to get some fresh air. This cool spider calls parts of Europe and Asia its home. Keep reading for amazing facts about them!

Scientific Classification

• Family: Dictynidae
• Genus: Argyroneta
• Scientific name: Argyroneta Aquatica

Physical Description and Identification

Adults

• Size: They are exceptional when it comes to size as males being 10mm to 15mm long are approximately 30% larger than their female counterparts who have a body length of 8mm to 12mm.
• Color: They are light or dark brown in color, while their abdomen has a velvety appearance. When underwater they have a silvery hue mostly because of the air bubble trapped in the hairs surrounding their legs and abdomen.
• Other Characteristic Features: The males have longer and slender front legs than the females which gives them a stronger diving ability.

Eggs

The female spider lays 30 to 70 eggs at a time in the egg sac.

Spiderlings

The spiderlings remain with their mother for a while after birth till they mature, post which they disperse to lead a life of their own.

The Web

Their web is unique as they weave a silk bubble that is a dome–shaped amidst the underwater vegetation known as a diving bell. The egg sac is also constructed by the female spider within this bell.

Are Diving Bell Spiders Venomous?

Yes, Diving Bell Spiders have venom. But for humans, it’s not very strong. They use their venom mostly to catch underwater bugs for food.

Can Diving Bell Spiders Bite?

They can bite, but it’s not common. Though they are not known to cause much harm to humans, the diving bell spiders have a painful bite which might result in mild fever, vomiting, localized pain, and inflammation that would subside in a few days.

Quick Facts

Other Names	Water spider
Lifespan	One year
Distribution	Throughout Europe including the British Isles, as well as northern parts of Asia including countries of Russia, Turkey, Japan, Caucasus, Korea, China, and Iran
Habitat	Underwater, mostly in ponds, marshes, eutrophic lakes, swamps, and slow-moving streams
Common Predators	Fish and frogs
Diet	Aquatic insects, and mosquito larvae

Did You Know

• The appearance of this species resulted in their genus name Argyroneta, where argyros in the Greek language means silver and neta obtained from neo (the verb) stands for spin, thus translating to “spinner of silver”.
• The females are smaller because they have larger bells and most of their energy goes into building and maintaining them.
• The diving bell of these spiders that they weave serve as their gills, absorbing the oxygen from the water the moment the spider inhales it. In fact, the bell is so efficient in exchanging gases that oxygen can even be extracted when the water is stagnant.

Image Credits: Assets.wired.com, Media.treehugger.com, Abc.net.au, I.pinimg.com