Aussies wowed by 'Xbox' spider discovery: 'Fabulous'

A strangely-marked spider is causing a buzz online thanks to its likeness to a popular gaming console's logo.

Dubbed the 'X-box spider', the green arachnid was spotted near Geelong and featured a vivid cross on its back. Kim Proudlove, who photographed the spider, told Yahoo it was less than 1cm in length.

And her find was warmly welcomed online, as she went in search of its true identity.

"Stunning," one person said on social media.

"The famous X-box spider," one person joked, with many more in agreement. "That's what I instantly thought," one comment read.

Others labelled it "gorgeous" and "fabulous".

Some suggested it actually resembled a hot cross bun.

"Dig where you found it, there might be treasure," another joked.

Expert says Xbox spider is rare

Nik Willmott, a PhD candidate at the University of Melbourne who studies urban spiders, told Yahoo News the spider is a "very pretty" orb weaver.

"It's probably the speckled orb-weaver or green orb-weaver, depending on who you ask," he said.

Mr Willmott said it was common for the spiders to have a horizontal stripe yet the Xbox spider was an anomaly.

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"I don't see the fainter longitudinal stripe as much, and having both stripes on the same spider is even rarer," he said.

Australia has no shortage of odd-looking spider discoveries. In 2019, a Sydney man's 'sushi' spider find made headlines around the world.

Aussies have been warned to expect an influx in spiders this summer after a torrid period of wet weather.

"A lot of funnel-webs and redbacks have been brought out because of the rain, the flooding. There’s more food, so they're breeding more. The population is exploding," Sam Yehia, owner of Sydney's Best Pest Control, told Yahoo last month.

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