---
title: "Waterspin"
description: "Argyroneta aquatica — Insecten en spinnen. The diving bell spider or water spider (Argyroneta aquatica) is the only species of spider known to live almost entirely under water."
canonical: https://animalchecklist.com/nl/animal/european-water-spider
last_updated: 2026-09-20
---

# Waterspin

> Argyroneta aquatica — Insecten en spinnen. The diving bell spider or water spider (Argyroneta aquatica) is the only species of spider known to live almost entirely under water.

- Scientific name: *Argyroneta aquatica*
- Category: `insects` (Insecten en spinnen)
- Habitats: `freshwater` (Meren en rivieren)
- iNaturalist observations: 423
- Wikidata: [Q119195](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q119195)
- iNaturalist taxon: [52953](https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/52953)

## Names

- en: European Water Spider
- de: Wasserspinne
- es: Araña Buzo
- fr: Argyronète
- nl: Waterspin
- pl: Topik

## Countries with the most observations

DK (60), RU (43), GB (41), DE (40), AT (14), PL (14), FI (13), CZ (11), IT (9), LT (8), SE (8), FR (3)

## Summary

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.

Text: Wikipedia (en), CC BY-SA 4.0 — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diving_bell_spider

## Photo

![Waterspin](https://animalchecklist.com/img/animals/european-water-spider/medium.jpg)

Photo: Kian Hayles-Cotton · CC0 · inaturalist — https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/248157712

## Machine access

`GET https://animalchecklist.com/api/v1/animals/european-water-spider?lang=nl` — see [openapi.json](https://animalchecklist.com/openapi.json).