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thumb|Male with "tusks" on mandibles
The Parktown prawn, African king cricket or tusked king cricket (Libanasidus vittatus) is a species of king cricket endemic to Southern Africa. It is unrelated to prawns, Libanasidus being insects in the order Orthoptera – crickets, locusts and similar insects. The king crickets are not true crickets either: they belong to the family Anostostomatidae, whereas true crickets are in the Gryllidae. The insect gets its English name from the suburb of Parktown in Johannesburg, South Africa, where they are common. It is found throughout Namibia, and in the southern savanna and semi-arid regions of Angola. The Parktown prawn is related to the New Zealand tree wētā, which is also in the family Anostostomatidae.
The Parktown prawn is held in low regard by many householders, but gardeners value them for controlling garden snail populations and attracting the hadeda ibis. The animal is omnivorous, with a diet that includes snails, other invertebrates, and vegetable matter. In urban environments, they will readily take food made available by suburban dwellers, including pet food and their droppings.
History and discovery
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Libanasidus vittatus was unknown within Johannesburg before the 1960s; the first known specimen was found in Barberton in 1899 by William Forsell Kirby. The conspicuous markings probably are aposematic in effect. A large specimen can jump more than a metre high.
The male insect sports a strong set of tusk-like projections on its mandibles, although the need for them is not fully explained. It is suggested that they may be used in sexual competition between males. They most often emerge into the open after rain during summer, which also is when they are likeliest to be found indoors. Commonly they are most active at night. They have also been called "crickets from hell".
A popular urban legend, propagated by April Fools' Day articles published by the Johannesburg newspaper The Star, claims that the Parktown prawn was the result of a 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 size, strength and vivid orange colouring are presented as confirmation of the idea.
The Parktown prawn has found its way into South African popular culture. Andrew Buckland's 1988 play The Ugly Noo Noo used Parktown prawns as part of an extended parody of South African politics of the time.
The aliens in the film District 9 resemble anthropomorphic Parktown prawns, and are called "Prawns" by the human characters.
They are the subject of a song that was crowd-sourced, written and performed on 23 February 2018 by Amanda Palmer in Johannesburg, South Africa.
References
External links
- The monstrous cricket "turns 200"; while "badboy" Parktown prawn steals the limelight