The spooky arachnid has face-like markings on its day-glow abdomen that bear a striking resemblance to little green aliens from planet Mars.
This spooky spider has caused an online panic due to its strange markings
When pictures of the spider began emerging on Russian websites, there were fears that a poisonous monster from outer space was beginning its conquest of Earth.
Residents of Penza, a city of 520,000 residents in Russia’s Oblast region, went apoplectic over the image of the spider which had turned up in a resident’s flat.
A scary-looking spider with markings resembling an alien-like face has been causing a stir onlineCredit: CEN
The unnamed householder’s photograph to a newsgroup saw members warning that the creature was predatory, poisonous and dangerous to humans.
It took respected zoologist Oleg Polumordvinov to allay fears about the alien-looking invertebrate.
The markings on the body of the spider look remarkably like an alien face looking up Credit: CEN
He identified the species as a flower crab spider, a species that grows little more than 6mm.
Online photographs of a species with the Latin name Ebrechtella tricuspidata look remarkably like the one that caused such consternation.
The spooky arachnid has face-like markings on its day-glow abdomen
An expert said: “These spiders are typical for our region and do not pose any threat to humans.”
He explained how they are found regularly in woods during the autumn and eat only flies.
But they are incapable of biting through human skin, he added.
The zoologist believes the spider must have been brought into the flat from outside and underlined that there was no need to be afraid.
He said: “Just catch it and release it onto the street. There is nothing else to do here.”
Residents of Penza, Russia, took to the internet over fears the spider was from another planet
While the spider was making headlines, one resident of Penza was obviously not concerned about the creature’s potentially extra terrestrial provenance, nor its venom.
He messaged worried residents: “This spider is definitely not poisonous, I used to eat those when I was a kid. You are good.”
