Megadolomedes is a genus of spider in the family Pisauridae. The genus contains only three species, Megadolomedes australianus,[1] commonly known as the giant water spider. It is one of Australia's largest spiders, with a legspan of up to 18 cm. Found near creeks and ponds, it is capable of running on water. Food includes small fish, tadpoles and aquatic insects. Air is trapped on body and leg hair, allowing them to stay underwater for long periods of time.[2][3][4]
| Megadolomedes | |
|---|---|
_Chatswood.JPG)
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| Ferndale Park, Sydney, Australia | |
Scientific classification 
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| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Subphylum: | Chelicerata |
| Class: | Arachnida |
| Order: | Araneae |
| Infraorder: | Araneomorphae |
| Family: | Pisauridae |
| Genus: | Megadolomedes Davies & Raven, 1980[1] |
| Species: | M. australianus
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| Binomial name | |
| Megadolomedes australianus | |
| Synonyms | |
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German naturalist Ludwig Carl Christian Koch described the giant water spider as Dolomedes australianus in 1865, from a specimen collected in Wollongong.
Size
editMegadolomedes australianus is one of Australia's largest spiders reaching a maximum body size of 10 mm, and a legspan of 180 mm (18 cm). It looks superficially like a large huntsman spider.[citation needed]
References
edit- ^ a b c "Gen. Megadolomedes Davies & Raven, 1980". World Spider Catalog. Natural History Museum Bern. Retrieved 2016-04-12.
- ^ Robert Whyte and Dr Greg Anderson. "Giant Water Spider (Megadolomedes australianus)". Arachne.org. Retrieved 21 December 2015.
- ^ NCRIS. "Giant Water Spider (Megadolomedes australianus)". Atlas of Living Australia. Retrieved 21 December 2015.
- ^ Ron Atkinson. "Water Spider (Megadolomedes australianus)". Find a Spider Guide for South East Queensland. Retrieved 21 December 2015.