The best way to tell them apart is the eye arrangement. Wolf spiders have three rows of eyes, with the forward-facing pair in the middle row (the posterior median eyes) very large, and the first row of four eyes in a straight line or slightly procurved (curved downwards).

Fishing spider (D. vittatus are the quintessential “saddle up and ride” spiders. They are big, up to 3″ in size. These have a dark spot on their upper cephalothorax. They also tend to have six whitish spots on their tapered abdomen.

Fishing spiders mostly hide from humans and other predators, particularly when indoors. However, they may bite if they become trapped against your skin by clothing or shoes. Though this is rarely more severe than a mild bee sting, those who are sensitive to venom may have a stronger allergic reaction.

Unlike other members of the genus Dolomedes, dark fishing spiders seem willing to travel quite far from water in search of prey. Some find their way into homes where they have been found in basements, kitchens and even bedrooms, much to the dismay of the human occupants.

Fishing spiders are super-arachnids: They swim, dive and walk on water.

Rather than building webs to catch prey, these arachnids hunt for their meals in person, on land and in the water. (Tellingly, some spiders within this family are also known as “fishing spiders,” “dock spiders” and “raft spiders.”)

According to a new study, spiders in 8 of the world’s 109 arachnid families can catch and consume small fish. Some of them can even subdue fish five times heavier than they are. The study, published June 18 in the journal PLOS ONE, says fish-eating spiders can be found on every continent except Antarctica.

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. More than 43,000 different species of spiders are found in the world. Of these, only a small number are said to be dangerous, and less than 30 (less than one-tenth of one percent) have been responsible for human deaths.

A widespread myth holds that daddy longlegs, also known as granddaddy longlegs or harvestmen, are the most venomous spiders in the world. We’re only safe from their bite, we are told, because their fangs are too small and weak to break through human skin. So, for these daddy longlegs, the tale is clearly false.”

Furthermore, is it safe to eat a Daddy Long Legs? “Therefore, they do not have poison and, by the powers of logic, cannot be poisonous from venom. Some have defensive secretions that might be poisonous to small animals if ingested. So, for these daddy longlegs, the tale is clearly false.”