Which dietary component forms the majority of the overall diet for the *Dolomedes* genus?
Answer
Insects that fall onto the water surface
While the common name 'fishing spider' alludes to their occasional predation on small aquatic vertebrates, which larger individuals are capable of tackling, the overwhelming bulk of the diet across the *Dolomedes* genus consists of insects. These typically include unfortunate arthropods, such as mayflies and dragonflies, that happen to fall or land upon the water's surface. The smaller prey items provide a frequent and reliable food source that sustains the population, reserving the riskier pursuit of vertebrates like small fish or lizards for larger, more specialized species or opportunistic moments.
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