Knowra Diving bell spider Diving bell spider The diving bell spider (Argyroneta aquatica) is a spider that lives underwater in a silk chamber, replenishing its air with bubbles carried from the surface.
Diving bell : An air-filled enclosure used underwater to provide a breathable space. The spider’s silk chamber functions as a small, self-maintained diving bell.
Biomimetics : The practice of designing technologies by studying structures and processes found in living organisms. The spider’s stable underwater air store offers a model for engineered gas-retaining structures.
Argyroneta : A genus of spiders containing the diving bell spider, Argyroneta aquatica. The species belongs to this genus, whose sole living member is the diving bell spider.
Diving bell spider courtship : The mating behavior of Argyroneta aquatica, which occurs in and around its underwater retreats. Courtship links the species’ unusual size difference to encounters between its air chambers.
Spider silk : A protein fiber spun by spiders for webs, retreats, egg sacs, and other structures. Silk forms the underwater chamber and helps it retain its air.
Underwater breathing apparatus : Equipment that supplies breathable gas to a person underwater. The spider achieves an underwater air supply biologically, without a carried tank.
Araneae : The order of arachnids that includes all spiders. The diving bell spider is a spider with the order’s characteristic silk-producing anatomy.
Diving bell spider prey : Small aquatic animals captured and eaten by Argyroneta aquatica. Hunting reveals how a spider living underwater obtains food beyond its air chamber.
Plastron respiration : Respiration through a thin, air-filled layer held against an animal’s body underwater. The spider’s air store can act as a physical gill, allowing oxygen to diffuse from water.
Artificial gill : A proposed device that extracts dissolved oxygen from water for breathing. The chamber’s gas exchange has prompted comparisons with devices that harvest oxygen from water.
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