Diving bell spider
Argyroneta aquatica (Clerck, 1757)
Status not recordedspiders
The diving bell spider (Argyroneta aquatica) is an arachnid in the spider subgroup, placed in the family Argyronetidae and the genus Argyroneta. It is also called the water spider or the European water spider, and its scientific name carries the authority (Clerck, 1757).
Quick facts about the diving bell spider
It belongs to the order Araneae, the class Arachnida and the phylum Arthropoda, within the kingdom Animalia. Checklists record it in Austria, Denmark, France and Japan.
- Weight
- Not recorded
- Length
- 1.05 cmsrc for Length
- Lifespan
- Not recorded
- Main food
- Not recorded
- Habitat
- freshwatersrc for Habitat
- Young per litter or clutch
- Not recorded
- Conservation status
- Not recorded
- Countries on record
- 4 countriessrc for Countries on record
How big is the diving bell spider?
Photos of the diving bell spider
Only freely licensed photos are shown. Each carries its creator and licence.
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Where does the diving bell spider live?
Countries where Catalogue of Life checklists list the species. Many checklists carry no country data, so the list is often incomplete. It is not a range map.
The diving bell spider is listed for 4 countries.
- Listed
- Not listed
The same countries as a list
Listed by: WSC (scope: global), through the Catalogue of Life.
What is the diving bell spider?
The diving bell spider or water spider (Argyroneta aquatica) is the only species of spider known to live almost entirely under water. It is the only member of the genus Argyroneta and the type genus of the family Argyronetidae. When out of the water, the spider ranges in colour from mid to dark brown, although the hairs on the abdomen give it a dark grey, velvet-like appearance. It is native to freshwater habitats in Europe and Asia.
From the Wikipedia article “Diving bell spider” (en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Diving_bell_spider&oldid=1363354573), by Wikipedia contributors, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0). This block is kept separate from our own text.
Is the diving bell spider endangered?
No conservation assessment is recorded for this species in our sources. That is not the same as being safe: it has not been matched to an assessment.
How is the diving bell spider classified?
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumArthropoda
- classArachnida
- orderAraneae
- familyArgyronetidae
- genusArgyroneta
- SpeciesArgyroneta aquatica (Clerck, 1757)
Synonyms Aranea amphibia, Aranea aquatica, Aranea urinatoria, Araneus aquaticus, Argyroneta amphibia, Argyroneta aquatica japonica, Argyroneta aquaticus, Argyroneta fallax, Argyroneta japonica, Argyroneta urinatoria, Clubiona fallax
Other names and names in other languages (31)
- European water spiderEnglish
- Water spiderEnglish
- Water spiderEnglish
- Павук-серабранкаBelarusian
- vodouch stříbřitýCzech
- VandedderkopDanish
- SilberspinneGerman
- WasserspinneGerman
- Araña BuzoSpanish
- vesiämblikEstonian
- vesikkiFinnish
- ArgyronèteFrench
- VodenpaukCroatian
- búvárpókHungarian
- Ragno palombaroItalian
- ミズグモJapanese
- 물거미Korean
- Vandeninis sidabriukasLithuanian
- vannedderkoppNorwegian Bokmål
- WaterspinDutch
- TopikPolish
- Păianjenul de apăRomanian
- Водяной паукRussian
- Паук-серебрянкаRussian
- čáhceheavdniNorthern Sami
- pavúk vodnýSlovak
- vodni pajekSlovenian
- vattenspindelSwedish
- แมงมุมน้ำThai
- СріблянкаUkrainian
- Срібник водянийUkrainian
Catalogue of LifeWikipediaiNaturalistITISTAXREFWikidataWoRMS
Relatives of the diving bell spider
Other species in the same genus Argyroneta.
Common questions
Each answer is written from the sourced facts on this page, and only where they hold the answer.
What kind of animal is the diving bell spider?
The diving bell spider is an arachnid in the spider subgroup. It belongs to the order Araneae and the family Argyronetidae.
What is the scientific name of the diving bell spider?
Its scientific name is Argyroneta aquatica, in the genus Argyroneta.
What other names does the diving bell spider have?
It is also called the water spider and the European water spider.
Which countries is the diving bell spider recorded in?
Checklists record it in Austria, Denmark, France and Japan.
What family does the diving bell spider belong to?
It belongs to the family Argyronetidae, within the class Arachnida and the phylum Arthropoda.
Sources and how to cite this page
Data as of 2026-11-11. How this page is put together.
- Catalogue of Life eXtended Release · CC BY 4.0 · 2026-10-16 XR
Catalogue of Life (2026). Catalogue of Life eXtended Release, version 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life Foundation, Amsterdam, Netherlands. https://doi.org/10.48580/dgzlf - Wikimedia Commons · per file (CC0 / public domain / CC BY green, CC BY-SA amber, anything else not displayed) · 2026-11-11
Wikimedia Commons contributors. Wikimedia Commons. https://commons.wikimedia.org (each file credited to its author under its own licence). - TraitCH: a multi-taxa functional trait dataset for Switzerland and Europe · CC BY 4.0 · 2.0
Chauvier, Y., Adde, A., Bergamini, A. et al. (2025) TraitCH: a multi-taxa functional trait dataset for Switzerland and Europe. Zenodo. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.15063844 - Wikidata · CC0 1.0 · 2026-11-11
Wikidata contributors. Wikidata. https://www.wikidata.org (data retrieved via the Wikidata Query Service). - Wikipedia (English) · CC BY-SA 4.0 · 2026-11-11
Wikipedia contributors. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. https://en.wikipedia.org (text under CC BY-SA 4.0; each block names its article and revision).
Embed a card for this animal on your own site
Copy this code. The card shows the photo with its credit, key facts and a link back to this page.
CreatureData. (2026). Diving bell spider (Argyroneta aquatica). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/diving-bell-spider
“Diving bell spider (Argyroneta aquatica).” CreatureData, 2026, https://creaturedata.com/animals/diving-bell-spider.
@misc{diving_bell_spider_2026,
title = {Diving bell spider (Argyroneta aquatica)},
author = {{CreatureData}},
year = {2026},
url = {https://creaturedata.com/animals/diving-bell-spider},
note = {Data as of 2026-11-11}
}