Prosoma dark brown. Sternum dark brown. Chelicerae dark brown. Legs dark brown. Opisthosoma dark grey-brown to black. In living specimens opisthosoma and sternum shining silver due to attached air. Whole body covered with dense, specialized hairs, that are especially long and partly occur in tufts on leg IV.
Body length male: 10-15 mmBig water spider, similar to Agelenidae, that lives in clean, densely overgrown still waters and that leaves the water only exceptionally. Builds several retreats filled with air under water and an irregular web, swims very well, ventral side upwards.
There are a few older and unverified reports that this spider can bite humans. Given its size, this is in principle possible, however there is no recent published information of a verified spider bite.
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