177
edits
Water spider: Difference between revisions
From CreationWiki, the encyclopedia of creation science
Jump to navigationJump to search
no edit summary
Andrewcrain (talk | contribs) No edit summary |
Andrewcrain (talk | contribs) No edit summary |
||
| Line 36: | Line 36: | ||
The water spider's body is greatly adapted to the water. Fine setae covers the opisthosoma which is used as an aquatic | The water spider's body is greatly adapted to the water. Fine setae covers the opisthosoma which is used as an aquatic | ||
lung that allows the spider to breathe under water by the setae trapping an air bubble against the spider's body and connected to the tracheal spiracles. The oxygen in the water surrounding the air-bell is diffused which can be exchanged in the tracheal system the normal way. Oxygen and Carbon dioxide can be increased and decreased so that the air bubble replenishes it's air[[http://www.americanarachnology.org/JoA_Congress/JoA_v30_n2/arac-30-02-189.pdf 2]]. The female water spiders can grow to 8mm all the way to 15mm, the male can grow up to 9mm to 12mm and are both light to dark yellow-brown. Although the female has a greater range, the male tends to be bigger to some degree than the females in most cases[[http://www.the-piedpiper.co.uk/th11f(5).htm 3]]. | lung that allows the spider to breathe under water by the setae trapping an air bubble against the spider's body and connected to the tracheal spiracles. The oxygen in the water surrounding the air-bell is diffused which can be exchanged in the tracheal system the normal way. Oxygen and Carbon dioxide can be increased and decreased so that the air bubble replenishes it's air[[http://www.americanarachnology.org/JoA_Congress/JoA_v30_n2/arac-30-02-189.pdf 2]]. The female water spiders can grow to 8mm all the way to 15mm, the male can grow up to 9mm to 12mm and are both light to dark yellow-brown. Although the female has a greater range, the male tends to be bigger to some degree than the females in most cases[[http://www.the-piedpiper.co.uk/th11f(5).htm 3]]. | ||
Like every other spider, the water spider has a cephalothorax and an abdomen | Like every other spider, the water spider has a cephalothorax and an abdomen. Every part of a normal spider internally is the same as the water spider. Externally the water spider has the fine setae that help the air bubble surround the spider. | ||
| Line 46: | Line 46: | ||
The water spider reproduces sexually with the opposite sex, the females are oviparous. Since the water spider spends most of it's life under water, they make air-filled bubbles shaped like bells that are used for oxygenating the spider. These bells are also used as mating grounds. | The water spider reproduces sexually with the opposite sex, the females are oviparous. Since the water spider spends most of it's life under water, they make air-filled bubbles shaped like bells that are used for oxygenating the spider. These bells are also used as mating grounds. | ||
The male water spider will build an air-bell along side the female's bell that was previously made, they are made so close that they are almost connected. After forming the air-bell, the male will bite through both his and her bubbles, then mates with the female. | The male water spider will build an air-bell along side the female's bell that was previously made, they are made so close that they are almost connected. After forming the air-bell, the male will bite through both his and her bubbles, then mates with the female.After the oviparous female lays her eggs in late spring or summer, she will wrap the eggs in a white, silky material and forms a cocoon surrounding the eggs and place the cocoon near the top of the air-bell. The young spiders hatch within a few weeks. If the eggs are laid in late summer, the male spider will seal the cocoon with a thicker layer of the silky substance[[http://www.arkive.org/water-spider/argyroneta-aquatica/info.html#reference_1 1]][[http://www.the-piedpiper.co.uk/th11f(5).htm 3]]. | ||
After the oviparous female lays her eggs in late spring or summer, she will wrap the eggs in a white, silky material and forms a cocoon surrounding the eggs and place the cocoon near the top of the air-bell. The young spiders hatch within a few weeks. If the eggs are laid in late summer, the male spider will seal the cocoon with a thicker layer of the silky substance[[http://www.arkive.org/water-spider/argyroneta-aquatica/info.html#reference_1 1]][[http://www.the-piedpiper.co.uk/th11f(5).htm 3]]. | |||
