A Dundee woman was left baffled when she found an unusual looking spider outside her front door on Tuesday.
The arachnid left Gillian Snaith alarmed when it appeared at her front door, showing its green/yellow abdomen.
As well as the bright coloured body, the spider has short brown limbs and was seen crawling up the wall outside Gillian’s home.
Taking to Facebook to try to identify it, Gillian asked what type of spider it could be having never seen one before.
One person joked that it was a “house for sale spider“, while another said it looked like a plastic toy.
Others said it was a lemon sherbet spider, but Gillian quickly got an answer from locals who had seen them before.
The animal was identified as a “cucumber spider”, a member of the spiral-web building family.
“When I saw it I really just wondered what it was. I had never seen one before,” Gillian said.
Despite its tropical appearance, the green bellied spider has long been native to the UK, and is found across central Europe.
Harmless to humans, the spider does possess a venom that can sometimes sting if someone is bitten.
When I saw it I really just wondered what it was
The species can grow up to 1cm in length, with the females usually larger than the males.
Its distinctive colour provides the perfect camouflage for its preferred habitat in forest clearings, woods and shrubs.
The British Arachnological Society description of the spider says: “The species is widely distributed in Britain, becoming more scattered in the west and north.
“It is widespread in north-western and central Europe.
“Adults of both sexes have been recorded between May and July, with a peak in June.
“Females have occasionally persisted as late as September.”