Six spotted fishing spider

Remember this guy (gal)? It was caught back at the Grand River Terraces at the first pond we visited in the midst of the field. This is a type of fishing spider, aptly named for the six dark spots below its abdomen. Above its abdomen, there are twelve white spots. Whoever named this spider must've been an underside lookerer. If this spider were just discovered today, perhaps we would've named it a six-legged fishing spider.

Here is a site with more nice photos of this type of spider and some interesting information.

One cool fact about fishing spiders is their ability to trap air bubbles with the hairs on their body or their legs so that they can breathe underwater.

This six-spotty does not get as large as the fishing spider we found in the fall.