A picture of a strange-looking spider resembling a piece of sushi has been met with horror on social media.

William Williamson, from Sydney, was stumped when he found the critter in his home.

The spider, which had been sitting on his stairs, had legs that looked like soft shell crab and green orbs on its back resembling pieces of cucumber.

He posted a snap of the spider on a Facebook group in the hope of getting it identified but it sparked alarm among some users who had never seen anything like it before.

A strange-looking spider that was discovered in a Sydney home has social media users stressed

WHAT IS A MAGNIFICENT SPIDER? The Magnificent spider is a bolas spider in the family Araneidae They capture prey using a single line of sticky silk The female Magnificent Spider has distinctive markings on its body The body is white with two bright yellow blobs on its abdomen, and a red-coloured spots The female spider creates a series of spindle-shaped egg sacs that can be found hanging from trees Each sac is filled with about 600 eggs Source: Australian Museum Advertisement

'Time to burn the house down,' one person said.

'At first glance I thought this was a piece of sushi,' another said.

The peculiar creature has been identified as a Magnificent Spider, otherwise known as a Ordgarius magnificus spider.

Despite its freaky appearance, the spider is not dangerous to humans, according to the Australian Museum.

Magnificent Spiders are often found in New South Wales and Queensland and can grow up to 2.5cm in length.

Unlike most spiders they don't spin a web, these crafty creatures use a sticky silk orb to catch its prey instead.

The garden-dwelling spiders are also great for pest control.