Land hopper fact sheet | Field of Mars EEC

What are land hoppers?

Land hoppers are small land-living crustaceans that look a little like tiny prawns. They are amphipods, which means they are related to beach hoppers, sand hoppers and many small shrimp-like animals.

This fact sheet focuses on land hoppers found in damp leaf litter, mulch and compost. A common species recorded in eastern Australia is Arcitalitrus sylvaticus. Land hoppers are sometimes called lawn prawns or lawn shrimp because they may jump out of wet lawns, mulch or garden beds after rain.

Land hoppers are not insects. They have a curved body, two pairs of antennae and seven pairs of walking legs. They live in moist places and help break down dead plant material. A land hopper.

Land hoppers look like tiny prawns but live on land in damp leaf litter and mulch.

Where do land hoppers live?

Land hoppers live in damp, sheltered habitats. They may be found in leaf litter, mulch, compost, under logs, beneath pot plants and around moist garden beds.

They need moisture to survive. Dry conditions can kill land hoppers quickly, so they usually stay hidden under leaves, bark, soil and rotting plant material during the day.

At Field of Mars Reserve, damp leaf litter, logs, mulch-like forest floor material and shaded groundcover provide habitat for many small decomposers. These places help protect land hoppers and other leaf-litter animals from drying out.

Damp leaf litter provides shelter and moisture for land hoppers.

What do land hoppers eat?

Land hoppers feed on dead and decaying plant material. They chew fallen leaves into smaller pieces, helping fungi, bacteria and other decomposers continue the recycling process.

As land hoppers move through leaf litter, they help break up dead plant material and return nutrients to the soil. This makes them part of the bushland clean-up crew.

Land hoppers do not bite people, sting or damage buildings. In gardens, they are usually a sign that damp organic matter is present.

Land hoppers help break down dead leaves and return nutrients to the soil.

What is the life cycle of a land hopper?

Land hoppers have a simple life cycle. Females carry eggs in a brood pouch under the body. The young hatch as tiny land hoppers that look like smaller versions of the adults.

Land hoppers do not have a caterpillar, grub or tadpole stage. As they grow, they moult by shedding their hard outer skeleton and forming a larger one.

Young land hoppers stay in damp, sheltered places where they can find food and avoid drying out.

Young land hoppers grow by shedding their hard outer skeleton as they develop.

What adaptations do land hoppers have to help them survive?

Land hoppers have long antennae that help them sense their surroundings in dark leaf litter. Their curved, flattened bodies help them move through narrow spaces under leaves, bark and logs.

Their jumping movement helps them escape quickly when disturbed. This sudden movement can make them look like fleas, but land hoppers are crustaceans, not insects.

Living in damp places is also important for survival. Land hoppers can dry out easily, so leaf litter, mulch, compost and rotting logs help protect their bodies from losing too much moisture.

Long antennae and a jumping escape response help land hoppers survive in leaf litter.

Why are land hoppers important?

Land hoppers are important decomposers. They help break down fallen leaves and other dead plant material, returning nutrients to the soil.

They are also part of the leaf-litter food web. Land hoppers may provide food for animals such as spiders, centipedes, frogs, lizards and birds.

Land hoppers show why leaf litter is important habitat. Fallen leaves, bark, logs and old plant material are not waste in bushland. They provide food and shelter for many small animals that help keep ecosystems healthy.

Land hoppers are part of the leaf-litter food web in bushland and gardens.

How can you help land hoppers?

You can help land hoppers by protecting damp leaf-litter habitat. Leave some fallen leaves, mulch, logs and natural woody material in garden beds where it is safe to do so.

Avoid removing every fallen leaf from gardens and bushland edges. Leaf litter provides food, shelter and moisture for land hoppers, slaters, springtails, worms and many other decomposers.

Use fewer garden chemicals, especially in damp garden beds and around mulch. Healthy soil and leaf litter support many hidden invertebrates.

Leaving leaf litter and logs in garden beds creates habitat for tiny decomposers such as land hoppers.

Related fact sheets

More invertebrate fact sheets

• Invertebrate fact sheets – overview

• Crustaceans fact sheet – land hoppers are crustaceans, like slaters and pill bugs.

• Slaters fact sheet – another crustacean found in damp leaf litter and under logs.

• Pill bugs fact sheet – another small crustacean that helps recycle dead plant material.

• Springtails fact sheet – another tiny invertebrate found in damp soil and leaf litter.

Habitats and ecosystems

• Leaf litter habitats fact sheet – explains why fallen leaves are important for small invertebrates.

• Eucalypt forest fact sheet – explains the local bushland context.

• Field of Mars Reserve fact sheet – explains the local reserve and habitat diversity.

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