The Life of Animals | Diving bell spider | The diving bell spider or water spider, Argyroneta aquatica, is the only species of spider known to live entirely under water. It is the only spider known to spend its whole life under water. However it breathes water, the which it traps in a bubble held by hairs on its abdomen and legs Females build underwater "diving bell" webs the which They fill with water and use for digesting prey, molting, mating and raising offspring.
Males also build bells, but these are smaller and the males replenish Their bells' oxygen supply less often. Very unusual for spiders, males of this species are about 30% percent larger than Females, possibly Because Their hunting style requires more active Greater Strength to Overcome the resistance of the water and to counteract the buoyancy of mobile Their water supplies. The sizes of Females may be limited by the amount of energy put into building They Their larger bells and maintaining
The spider web can serve as underwater gills for the spider exchanging carbon dioxide with oxygen in the surrounding water The appearance of the diving bell gave rise to the genus name Argyroneta, from the Greek "argyreios" (αργυροειδής), meaning "Silvery", and "netos" (νήθωσ) meaning in context: "spun However, frequent replenishment at the surface is unnecessary in well-oxygenated water, Because the structure of the bell permits gas exchange with the surrounding water: oxygen is replenished and carbon dioxide Expelled by diffusion. The process is driven by differences in partial pressure and relative solubility in water, of nitrogen, oxygen , and carbon dioxide.
