Talk:Great raft spider

Page title
I think this article should be renamed to Fen raft spider, which seems to be the name used by the English conservation bodies. The unscientific Google hit count gives Great 442 Fen 979. As it is not just England involved, I am asking for opinions first before I change it. MortimerCat (talk) 11:03, 16 March 2008 (UTC)


 * Not based on detailed knowledge but from my observation of the various internet sources on Dolomedes plantarius: it appears to me that 'Fen raft spider' is used widely within the UK as a common name but 'great raft spider' is more common in continental Europe and internationally, as per its recognition in the IUCN Red List data.(1) - HelioSmith (talk) 04:16, 16 January 2010 (UTC)

Throughout this article I have used great raft spider in preference over fen raft spider. Primarily due to view that this is the more internationally accepted common name. However, I welcome any challenge to this that shows convincing evidence or reasoning otherwise. - HelioSmith (talk) 23:07, 16 January 2010 (UTC)


 * Probably we should go with the name used in the main English-speaking area where it occurs: I don't think international use really signifies, if it's by non-English speakers (after all the real international name is of course Dolomedes plantarius). If I were forced to choose I think I'd go with "fen", but as both are in widespread use I'm not sure it's worth changing the article now.  Richard New Forest (talk) 13:55, 16 November 2010 (UTC)

Intention to expand new subsections
I have put in the subheadings: Taxonomy, Physiology, Ecology, Distribution and Conservation. Over the next few days I intend to further expand these subsections with relevant info. HelioSmith (talk) 04:09, 16 January 2010 (UTC)
 * Expansion complete to my satisfaction. - HelioSmith (talk) 23:08, 16 January 2010 (UTC)

Picture request
It would be great to have some pictures of Dolomedes plantarius; in a perched position, of a nursery nest and of the small pools it tends to inhabit preferably. However, I have been unable to find any under the appropriate licenses. If anyone has any of their own or can find any to add under an appropriate license that would be great! - HelioSmith (talk) 23:13, 16 January 2010 (UTC)


 * Probably not worth the hassle, and google image search turns up, um, a raft of em. 72.228.150.44 (talk) 12:32, 20 January 2010 (UTC)

what i want to know at a glance
can they (great raft spiders) bite? (humans) if so how deep? are they venomous? how painfully? are they dangerous to humans?

i feel this should be a highlighted point for people like myself who dont want to read and article, they just want to know the answers to those questions. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 87.74.72.27 (talk) 15:50, 4 October 2012 (UTC)

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Suggestions from a Behavioral Ecology Student
Hello I am a college student in a Behavioral Ecology course taking part in the WikiSpiders project. I am hoping to be able to provide a few suggestions to make this article even better! One of the strengths is that the info box is well covered in terms of habitat and taxonomy such as genus. This can help us compare the traits of this spider with other spiders and determine which phenotypes stayed in the gene pool versus what got kicked out via natural selection. Another strength is that conservation efforts are very well detailed in the article. One thing that I found interesting was that it is something that is called a semi-aquatic spider meaning it can hunt on the surface of water. I did not know there were any spiders that did this so I was very surprised but now I know where it got its name. The three general categories that I would add would be predators, parasitoids, and venom. In terms of the first two categories I would want to know what threatens these animals and potentially details on how these spiders avoid or deal with harm. This could potentially be threatening markings on its bodies or dances they might do to scare predators. Not only, how to avoid harm is a very important part of behavioral ecology as there may be some phenotypes that these spiders have evolved into that help them stay alive and pass down their genes. Finally, as is the case with the Brown Recluse spider, venom is something that many people associate and often are associated with spiders so it would definitely be helpful if they have a section on that. Even if they don’t have venom it would be important to specify this. This lack of venom could create new pathways into understanding why they have evolved into hunting on water and how these evolutionarily chosen traits has helped benefit these spiders in their fight for survival. One would assume that it is likely because there is less competition on the surface of waters but thinking about the economic defendability of being on water in terms of costs (such as drowning or being eaten by a fish) and benefits (less competition) could be interesting.

shutaro.hayashihara (talk) 07:13, 6 October 2020 (UTC)