Araneus praesignis mm) and females (7 mm) of "Araneus praesignis" have large black decorations on the upper rear (dorsal posterior) of the abdomen, thought to be a case of Batesian mimicry where an animal has markings making it appear larger and more threatening than it really is. The spider was described by Ludwig Koch in "Die Arachniden Australiens", 1872. "Araneus praesignis" shelters during the day in a silk-bound retreat made in a non-fully-closed leaf nearby where its web is erected at night. Its food is night-flying insects and other invertebrates. It is harmless to humans and can be handled by people without
Botanical garden (Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, 1670); and in France ("Jardin des plantes de Montpellier", 1593; Faculty of Medicine Garden, Paris, 1597; "Jardin des Plantes", Paris, 1635), Denmark (University of Copenhagen Botanical Garden, 1600); Sweden (Uppsala University, 1655). During the 16th and 17th centuries, the first plants were being imported to these major Western European gardens from Eastern Europe and nearby Asia (which provided many bulbs), and these found a place in the new gardens, where they could be conveniently studied by the plant experts of the day. For example, Asian introductions were described by Carolus Clusius (1526–1609), who was director, in