About Dolomedes fimbriatus (Clerck, 1757)
Dolomedes fimbriatus, commonly called the raft spider, is a semi-aquatic spider species. Adult individuals live in freshwater wetlands, with a particular preference for wet heaths and acid swamps, while juveniles are mostly found in terrestrial vegetation that grows around wetland areas. Adult D. fimbriatus are dark brown, with a distinct white, cream, or yellow stripe running along both sides of the abdomen and thorax. Juveniles share a similar general appearance, but they often have green translucent legs. Like many other spider species, female raft spiders are typically larger than males: females have a body length of 9 to 22 millimeters, while males have a body length of 9 to 15 millimeters. This species was first described by Swedish arachnologist and entomologist Carl Alexander Clerck in chapter 5 of his book Svenska Spindlar, and it is the designated type species of the genus Dolomedes.
