Araneus quadratus Araneus quadratus Araneus quadratus, the four-spot orb-weaver, is a common orb-weaver spider found in Europe and Central Asia, and as far as the Kamchatka Peninsula and Japan. Females can reach 17 mm in length, especially when gravid, males approximately half that. They are quite variable in appearance, ranging from brown to bright orange or green, but they always have the characteristic four white spots on the abdomen. The darker color morphs are easiest to identify, due to the contrast between the white spots and the rest of the body. The legs are sometimes brightly striped. The spider lives in gardens,
False garden mantis False garden mantis The false garden mantis ("Pseudomantis albofimbriata") is one of the most common species of mantis in Australia. Females reach 70 mm while males reach 50 mm. The false garden mantis is either green or brown but rarely may come in other colours. They have a distinctive dark spot on the femur of each raptorial foreleg. Females have short wings that only cover half of the abdomen, whereas Males have wings that cover the full length of the abdomen. Males sometimes have yellow triangular markings on the underside of the abdomen. They are widely distributed over Australia and