It is common in ponds and lakes of temperate Europe and Asia. In Australia, one type of Water spider frequents fresh or brackish water, running across the surface, feeding on floating insects. If they break the surface and fall in, air trapped in the hairs on the abdomen allows them to breathe underwater. In the picture, a female water spider of the family Argyronetidae tends its egg cocoon while underwater in a freshwater pond.
Water spiders use silk to house their eggs while underwater.
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