Parktown prawn
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Libanasidus vittatus
Libanasidus vittatus is endemic in South Africa Weta - kind, there is commonly known as Parktown prawn ( Parktown Prawn ) is known. The English name is an ironic combination of the words Parktown, which is a suburb of Johannesburg is meant where the animals are frequently encountered, and Prawn ( engl. shrimp) as the animals in search of damp, dark places in the swimming pools in and drown Johannesburg and are titled as shrimp because of their appearance.
In these gardens Weta are welcome guests, as they are omnivores, whose diet snails and other invertebrates, but also plants belong. Inside buildings, they are due to their size, their appearance and the secretion, which they secrete in defense, less welcome.
History
Libanasidus vittatus in 1899, described by the entomologist William Forsell Kirby for the first time. But it was only in the 1960s, but these were considered Parktown prawn on in and around Johannesburg. It is believed that the increased presence of these insects is due to the artificial greening of Johannesburg. For example, the absence of certain predators of the Parktown Prawn could have led to a sharp population growth of L. vittatus. In addition, the climate has changed through the Sekundärbewaldung by the people in favor of this kind of Weta. By artificial irrigation and afforestation found themselves increasingly cool and moist places where L. vittatus could settle.
Appearance
Like other wetas also L. vittatus is characterized by a conspicuous size. An animal can measure up to 6, sometimes 7 cm. Measuring the animals of antenna tip to the ovipositor ( in females ), achieve these up to 166 mm The antennas usually measure the same length as the body. The exoskeleton is orange to brown, with black horizontal stripes. The male is distinguished by powerful mandibles, their utility could not yet be clarified. It is believed that these come with other males for use in mating battles.
The female has a long ovipositor 12 mm, by means of which they can lay between 80 and 200 eggs in the damp earth.
Occurrence
The natural habitat of the Parktown Prawn are more broadly forests, where they spend the day mainly in caves or under fallen trees on. They usually only come out of hiding at night and go during this time in search of food. The natural range of the forests of the South African province of Mpumalanga, it probably goes to southern Zimbabwe.