The diving Melville Bell spider is the only species of spider that can drop the entirety of its life underwater . unusually , it pulls off this aquatic lifestyle without the ability to in reality breathe underwater .
The diving bell spider ( Argyroneta aquatica ) is native to freshwater habitats across enceinte share of Eurasia , from the British Isles and Siberia to Iran and South Korea . Japan even has its own subspecies , call theJapanese body of water spider(Argyroneta aquatica japonica ) or mizugumo , which look extremely similar but has large genitals .
They ’re relatively small , evaluate between 8 and 15 mm ( 0.3 and 0.6 inches ) in duration , although the males tend to be tumid than the female ( which is strange for spiders ) .
Just like its land - dwelling cousins , the diving bell spider get oxygen from the atmosphere . So , to breathe , they must produce a drown bubble of air .
They create the house of cards by rising to the pee ’s surface and stupefy out their abdomen and stage , which are covered in hydrophobic hairsbreadth . They then drown down into the H2O with the air pocket of tune and add it to a submerged bubble that ’s adjudge in place with a sleek web anchored to a surface , usually a plant life .
The spider can hang out in a single bubble formore than a day . They would be able to stay longer , but nitrogen steadily diffuses from the bubble , cause it to gradually shrink .
Theylive on a dietof low aquatic bugs and little fish . To get them , the spider will set up a system of webs around their vicinity that will alert them if prey is near . If the web is tugged , they chop-chop swim to bewitch them and dredge them back into their house of cards .
Watch out , though : as per theBritish Arachnological Society , the mintage can bite if maltreat , and it ’s about as dreadful as a bee sting .
Many other species ofsemi - aquatic spidersexist in a mixed bag of forms , but none dedicate to the bit as much as the diving Melville Bell wanderer – they even reproduce underwater . Male spiders will build their bubble near a female ’s . When the clip is correct , he will create an chess opening between his house of cards and the female , bring together them into one . The male person will then feed the house of cards to make enough blank for both of them .
Aquatic spiders should n’t be confused with sea spider , which are from a totally different branch of the tree diagram of aliveness and are n’t even arachnids , despite their name . In fact , sea spider ( Chelicerata ) are one of the oldest groups of arthropods andcan be considereda “ sister chemical group ” to other living arthropods , like insects , mollusks , and crustaceans .
