Striped Fishing Spider Identification Guide
Dolomedes scriptus
The striped fishing spider is a large brown semi-aquatic spider with white W-shaped bands across its abdomen and a pale stripe along each side. It lives on rocky streams, ponds, and docks in eastern North America. It rarely comes indoors and is not dangerous to people.
Taxonomy
Striped Fishing Spider Coloration
Common color patterns to help identify striped fishing spider
Striped Fishing Spider
Seasonal Activity
When striped fishing spider are most active throughout the year
Where Striped Fishing Spider Are Found
Hover over states to see their names. Green regions indicate where striped fishing spider have been reported.
Striped Fishing Spider Identification Guide
The striped fishing spider (Dolomedes scriptus) is a large spider of rocky creeks and streams. It sits on boulders and gravel bars at the water’s edge with its front legs resting on the surface. It is one of several fishing spiders in North America. The species name scriptus is Latin for “written.” It likely refers to the script-like W marks on its back.
Physical Characteristics
- Size: Females have a body about 17 to 24 mm long, just under 1 inch. With legs spread, a large female is 2 to 3 inches across. Males are smaller, with a body about 13 to 16 mm long.
- Color: Brown, tan, or gray. The shading varies a lot from one spider to the next.
- Abdomen: A row of dark W-shaped marks runs down the back. Between them are complete white W shapes. This “written” pattern is the best field mark.
- Side stripes: Many have a bold white or tan stripe along each side of the front body. Some individuals lack it.
- Head: A pale line runs unbroken down the center of the front body (carapace).
- Legs: Long and thin, dark brown with gray rings. At rest, the spider spreads them flat across a rock or the water.
- Eyes: Eight small eyes in two rows, dark only around each eye.
Telling It Apart From Look-Alikes
- Dark fishing spiders are the closest match. They also have W marks, but white edges only the outer tips of each W. The line down the head is broken or missing. They often live in dry woods and wander into basements.
- Six-spotted fishing spiders are grayer, with rows of small white dots on the abdomen instead of W bands. They prefer still ponds with lily pads.
- Nursery web spiders are slimmer relatives with a pale stripe down the middle of the back. They live in fields and gardens, not on streams.
- Wolf spiders have two very large eyes in the middle of the face. Females carry egg sacs on the tip of the abdomen. Fishing spiders carry them in their jaws. See our fishing spider vs. wolf spider guide for more.
Striped Fishing Spider Behavior and Biology
Habitat
Like most fishing spiders, this species is semi-aquatic. It is most common along fast, rocky streams, but it can live near almost any fresh water. Common spots include:
- Boulder fields, gravel bars, and log jams on creeks and rivers
- Pond, lake, and swamp edges
- Bridges, culverts, and stone retaining walls by water
- Boat docks, piers, and the undersides of rocks
It ranges across the eastern and central United States and southern Canada. It is mostly absent from the Gulf Coast. Ontario, Quebec, New York, and Pennsylvania have many records. In Virginia and Maryland, look for it on Piedmont and mountain streams, such as rocky creeks that feed the Potomac and Rappahannock.
Diet and Hunting
The striped fishing spider does not build a web to catch food. It waits at the water’s edge with its front legs on the surface. Ripples from a struggling insect tell it where prey is. Then it skates across the water to grab it. It can also dive under to catch small water animals or to hide.
It mostly eats water insects and land insects that fall into the stream. It also takes tadpoles and small fish. A 2016 report in Southeastern Naturalist described a female in West Virginia eating a young crayfish she had tied down with silk. In turn, fish, frogs, birds, and dragonfly nymphs eat young spiders. A spider wasp also hunts fishing spiders to feed its young.
Life Cycle
Spiderlings hatch in spring and feed and grow through summer. Adults mature by mid-summer. Females are much larger than males and sometimes eat them after mating.
The female carries a round egg sac in her jaws. Before the eggs hatch, she folds a leaf or ties plant stems together with silk to make a “nursery web.” She hides the sac inside and stands guard until the young disperse. Females keep making egg sacs while the weather stays warm. Adults slow down in fall and die at the first hard freeze. Activity peaks from June through September.
How We Treat for Striped Fishing Spiders
Striped fishing spiders do not damage homes, and they rarely come indoors. Spider products are applied around the house, never to streams or ponds. So treatment focuses on keeping spiders off your home, deck, and doors. We cover them as part of our regular spider service in Northern Virginia and suburban Maryland.
- Inspection: We check inside and outside your home for spider hot spots and what draws them in. Common causes are gaps under doors, gaps around basement windows, damp areas, and bright lights that attract insects.
- Treatment: We apply a non-repellent product to exterior areas where spiders are active, such as door frames, window wells, foundation corners, and garage door edges. Inside, we limit treatment to spot treatments in corners and around entry points.
- Web and spider removal: We knock down webs and spiders we can reach from the ground, up to about 6 to 8 feet.
- Ongoing service: Follow-up visits renew the exterior barrier and include more dewebbing as needed. If spiders come back between visits, callbacks are free.
Prevention Tips for Homeowners
- Seal gaps and add door sweeps on the side of the house facing the creek or pond.
- Switch dock, deck, and porch lights to yellow “bug” bulbs, or turn them off when not in use.
- Close blinds at night so indoor light does not draw insects to your windows.
- Knock nursery webs off dock posts and railings in summer.
- Shake out boat cushions, life jackets, and fishing gear before bringing them inside.
- Catch a lone spider under a cup and release it back near the water.
Waterfront yards often host dark fishing spiders and wolf spiders as well. Our spider plan covers the ones that try to move indoors.
References
- Striped Fishing Spider - Missouri Department of Conservation
- Predation of the Freshwater Crayfish Orconectes cristavarius by the Fishing Spider Dolomedes scriptus - Southeastern Naturalist 15(3), 2016
- Fishing Spider - Penn State Extension
- Fishing Spiders (EF622) - University of Kentucky Entomology
- Spiders (Pest Notes 7442) - University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources
- Dolomedes fishing spider biology: gaps and opportunities for future research - Frontiers in Arachnid Science (2024)
Other Spiders
Explore other species in the spiders family
Commonly Confused With
Striped Fishing Spider are often mistaken for these similar pests
Where Striped Fishing Spider Are Found
Hover over states to see their names. Green regions indicate where striped fishing spider have been reported.
Common Questions about Striped Fishing Spider
How do I identify a striped fishing spider?
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Look on the abdomen. A striped fishing spider has a row of dark W-shaped marks with complete white W shapes between them. Many also have a bold pale stripe along each side of the body and an unbroken pale line down the center of the head. The body is brown, tan, or gray, and the long legs have gray rings.
What is the difference between a striped fishing spider and a dark fishing spider?
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Both have W-shaped marks on the abdomen. On the dark fishing spider, white only edges the outer tips of each W, and the line down the head is broken or missing. The striped fishing spider has full white Ws and a clear center line. The dark fishing spider also wanders far from water and often turns up in basements. The striped fishing spider stays along streams and ponds.
Is the striped fishing spider dangerous?
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No. It is shy and usually dives under water or hides under a rock when disturbed. It can bite if it is grabbed or trapped against skin. The bite is usually compared to a bee sting, with brief pain and mild swelling. See a doctor if you have an allergic reaction or a bite that gets worse. This is general information, not medical advice.
Where do striped fishing spiders live?
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They live in eastern and central North America, from southern Canada south to Georgia and Texas. They are mostly absent from the Gulf Coast. They favor rocky, fast-moving streams, but they also live on ponds, lakes, and swamps. Look for them on boulders, gravel bars, bridges, and boat docks.
Do striped fishing spiders come inside houses?
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Rarely. They depend on water and seldom leave the stream or pond edge. Homes beside a creek or with a dock may see one on a deck, boathouse, or stone wall. A big brown spider in a basement is more likely a dark fishing spider or a wolf spider.
What do striped fishing spiders eat?
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They eat water insects, land insects that fall onto the water, and small animals such as tadpoles and small fish. Researchers in West Virginia also recorded a female eating a young crayfish. They feel ripples with their front legs, then run across the water or dive to grab prey.
With five years of hands-on experience in the pest control industry, George Schulz is a registered technician with the Virginia Pest Management Association and a proud third-generation professional in a family business that's been protecting homes for over 58 years. He manages and trains a team of service pros while also leading internal research efforts—recently spearheading a deep-dive review of thousands of documents on pest control materials to hand-pick the most kid and pet friendly, most effective solutions tailored specifically for homes in the DC metro area.
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