Forest Hopper, Lawn Hopper or Carpet Prawn
Talitroides topitotum
Identification: The common Forest Hoppers, Lawn or Carpet Prawns are not related to actual prawns. They belong to a crustacean group called the Amphipoda. Amphipods are typically small with narrow elongated bodies flattened from side-to-side (similar in shape to a prawn). Most amphipods live in the sea, however these hoppers are terrestrial forms and are often mistaken for insects. Grow to about 7 mm in length.
Habitat and Range: Normally found in forests and suburban gardens, where they live under logs, mulch, and leaf litter. Originally described from Sri Lanka, but now widespread in warm temperate climates across the Indo-Pacific region; common in eastern New South Wales and south-eastern Queensland.
Notes: Each summer on warm moist nights, following periods of rain, they often emerge in large numbers to invade low-set homes, pet bowls, swimming pools, and other alien human environments, only to dry out and die with the morning sun. In their natural environment they feed on micro-organisms in the soil and contribute to the decomposition of the forest floor. They are harmless to both humans and their pets.
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