Dolomedes tenebrosus
Dolomedes tenebrosus, known as the dark fishing spider, is a species of fishing spider found in the United States and Canada. Despite belonging to Dolomedes, it is better described as a "tree-dwelling spider".
Description
Females are ; and males are. Leg lengths range from. The spider is a pale to dark brown colour with several chevron markers and lighter stripes around its legs, similar to D. scriptus. The legs are banded with brown/black annulations on the femora and reddish-brown/black annulations on the tibia.During copulation, females of the species practice sexual cannibalism on their male counterparts. Research shows that the males' self-sacrifice through consumption by the female increases the chance of survivorship of future offspring.