Raft Spider

[Abhishek Jamalabad]

This was shot near Karnala.
Body length approx. 3 cm. An aquatic spider that feeds mainly on small fish, tadpoles etc. Found near the surface of water bodies, usually near the bank or on floating leaves etc. When threatened, it submerges itself completely.
Info about its hunting habits from South Indian spiders:
"The spider has the habit of resting on the upper surface of broad leaves with legs arranged in pairs of two. Spider put its forelegs immersed in water, when any fish arrives near it, its vibration are detected by the spider, which then dashes into the water to catch the fish."
Waited for a long time, but didn't see it fishing...:-(

Camera Model Name Canon PowerShot SX10 IS
Shooting Mode Manual
Tv (Shutter Speed) 1/400
Av (Aperture Value) 5.0
ISO Speed 80
Focal Length 57.0 mm
Flash On (medium output + cloth as diffuser)
Slightly cropped, no PP done except resizing

Thanks for looking, C&C awaited.

[Mrudul Godbole]

Nice image. The composition is good. Sharp. The light stripe makes it stand out in the dark. Thanks for the info. Keep posting..

[Bibhav Behera]

Good composition.. would have liked the image a little brighter...

[Abhishek Jamalabad]

I have some better lit images too, will post them soon

[Sagar Patil]

It look as if the size is around 2-3 inches.

Nice finding.

[Sabyasachi Patra]

I have seen this species in water. Never knew that it is waiting for a fish. I would have liked the image a bit brighter.

Cheers,
Sabyasachi