Closely related to the Wolf Spider, the Nursery Web
Spider is a type of fisher spider that is not necessarily
found near water.
The body is light yellowish brown with a wide dark
brown stripe down the middle of both the cephalothorax
and abdomen. There is a narrow white stripe on either
side of the brown stripe.
Habitat
You will find Nursery Web Spiders north from Canada,
south to Florida,and as far west as Kansas.
They are abundant in moist areas, bushes, woods, grasses,
fields, and meadows. You may even find them in houses!
Food
A hunting spider, the Nursery Web Spider will prey
on small crawling insects such as beetles and crickets.
However, it does not build a web to catch its prey.
Defense
Considered to be a type of fisher spider, the Nursery
Web Spider can run over the surface of the water and
even dive and stay under water for a time.
The female spider carries her large egg sac under her
body, holding it with her jaws, legs, and spinnerets.
Because the egg sac is so large, the spider must walk
on her tiptoes in order to move about and keep the egg
sac off the ground.
