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Parktown prawn

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Parktown prawn
File:ParktownPrawn Large.jpg
Scientific classification
Kingdom:
Phylum:
Class:
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Genus:
Libanasidus
Species:
L. vittatus
Binomial name
Libanasidus vittatus
Parktown prawn

Parktown prawn is the familiar term South Africans use for Libanasidus vittatus, a monotypic king cricket species found in South Africa, belonging to the Anostostomatidae family, and getting their name from the suburb Parktown in Johannesburg where they are most commonly found. It is not considered a true cricket.[citation needed] Adults are usually around 4 to 5 centimetres in length, with 2 cm. antennae.

History and discovery

The insect was not known within Johannesburg before the 1960s; the first known specimen being found in Barberton in 1899 by William Forsell Kirby. They only became prevalent after 1960, when Johannesburg began to expand rapidly in size and population. The reason for the increase in the insects' numbers is not known, although they have flourished better in an urban environment than in the wild.

Johannesburg, being part of the South African highveld, has a dry climate, which was unsuitable habitat for the Parktown prawn. With the arrival of suburban dwellers, gardens took on a more tropical and forest-like appearance, which was typically wet and well-covered, which helped the insect thrive. Johannesburg's suburbs are considered to be one of the world's largest man-made forests[citation needed], being very green and leafy, representing a total transformation of local flora.

Appearance

The Parktown prawn is one of the larger insects found in Johannesburg homes. A large specimen may grow to be 10 cm or more, with long whip-like antennae extending to 5 cm. The exoskeleton is orange to light brown, with darker brown or black stripes along the thorax and abdomen, which gives it a toxic look to would-be aggressors. The legs have downward-facing hooked barbs, which allow it climb up walls and trees. A large specimen can jump more than metre high.

The male insect sports a strong set of mandibles, although the need for them is not fully known, other than for use in self-defence against other males. The female has a well-developed ovipositor, through which it will lay between 80 and 100 eggs during mating season in damp or wet topsoil.

Feeding habits

The Parktown prawn is typically omnivorous, feeding on slugs, snails and cutworms as well as vegetable matter. They have been seen feeding on dog food, cat food, dead birds, as well as dry oatmeal and fallen fruit. They are also known to chew on wooden floor boards and wooden furniture. Gardens that have a high population of Parktown prawns will have almost no snails — thus, they can be considered an effective and natural form of pest control. Among their natural predators are the Hadeda Ibis, Fiscal Shrike and Helmeted Guineafowl, three birds in the urban habitat that are able to take on the considerable size of the Parktown prawn.

In society

They are generally considered pests by most in South Africa, and are held in the same regard as cockroaches. The strong exoskeleton of the Parktown prawn makes it exceedingly difficult to kill. They are able to function for a short time when decapitated, and are less susceptible to insecticide than most other insects[citation needed]. They are most visibly prevalent after rain during summer, which is when they are most likely to be found indoors. Parktown prawns seem to be more active at night.

The Parktown prawn is renowned and feared for its ability to jump long distances when threatened (they tend to jump towards you). They also release a vile-smelling black faecal liquid.

A popular urban legend, fuelled by April Fools' Day articles published by the Johannesburg newspaper The Star, tells that the Parktown prawn was actually the result of an escaped genetic experiment by students from the University of the Witwatersrand in the 1960s (thus explaining the insects' sudden arrival in Johannesburg at that time). The insect's unusual strength, vivid orange colouring and size are seen to 'confirm' this urban legend.

The resilience and strength of the Parktown prawn allowed two cartoon versions to become objects of humour in the well known South African cartoon strip Madam & Eve, inspiring fear in Gwen Anderson and Eve Sisulu. In the cartoons, the Parktown prawns get 'high' on insecticide (in reference to their size and how much poison is required to kill them), and produce two prawn-shaped indentations on the bottom of a frying pan with which they are swatted, in reference to their hard exoskeletons.

In the 1980s Andrew Buckland's acclaimed play 'The Ugly Noo Noo' used Parktown Prawns as part of an extended parody of South African politics of the time.

Neill Blomkamp's 2009 science fiction film District 9 features aliens dubbed 'prawns' by Johannesburg residents, apparently inspired by the aliens' resemblance to the Parktown variety.