Abstract
The water spider Argyroneta aquatica lives under water, diving to various depths from time to time. At rest, it breathes air trapped within its diving bell with a hydrophilic surface. Outside their diving bell water spiders trap air on their abdomen under a layer of hydrophobic hair. Is the structure of the layer of hair trapping a volume of air on the abdomen of the water spider Argyroneta aquatica under water related to its observed diving depth (of the order of decimetre)? A positive answer to this question is given, based on the law of Laplace in combination with information obtained from SEM- photographs of the abdomen of a water spider.
Highlights
The adaptation of the water spider Argyroneta to its life under water has been the subject of several recent studies (Neumann and Kureck 2013; Seymour and Hetz 2011; Matthews and Seymour 2010; Schütz and Taborsky 2003)
It is the focus of the present study to contribute an answer to the question: Is the structure of the layer of hair trapping a volume of air on the abdomen of the water spider Argyroneta aquatica under water related to its observed diving depth?
The photographs show that the schematic drawings of the surface of the abdomen of Argyroneta found in the literature are simplifications of the actual structure (e.g. Braun 1931; Crome 1951)
Summary
The adaptation of the water spider Argyroneta to its life under water has been the subject of several recent studies (Neumann and Kureck 2013; Seymour and Hetz 2011; Matthews and Seymour 2010; Schütz and Taborsky 2003). It is the focus of the present study to contribute an answer to the question: Is the structure of the layer of hair trapping a volume of air on the abdomen of the water spider Argyroneta aquatica under water related to its observed diving depth?
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