Species of the Month: Febuary 2025

Landhopper Arcitalitrus dorrieni

If you move pots or stones in your garden, you may be surprised by small jumping invertebrates disappearing into the undergrowth. Although these creatures resemble giant fleas, they are actually the UK's only terrestrial amphipod crustacean, aka Landhoppers.

This non-native species is approximately 1cm long, with bodies flattened from side to side and a dark colouration. Their distinctive jumping behaviour is similar to our native amphipod, the Sandhopper (Talitrus saltator), which is restricted to beaches. Another possible confusion species is the non-native Cryptorchestia garbinii, however this rarely strays from water margins. So if you see a hopper in your garden, park or woodland, it is safe to record it as a Landhopper.

A native of New South Wales, Australia, the Landhopper has now colonised (old) south Wales and can be found throughout the SEWBReC area, though we only hold 242 records (view a 1km distribution map for the SEWBReC area here). They can be found year round, so are one of the few invertebrates you can find and record during winter.

You can learn more about the species on the Buglife website and from the British Myriapod and Isopod Group (BMIG) website, including a paper about the species. You can view a Wales-wide distribution map here.

If you spot a Landhopper during February (or at any other time of year) please send us the record, ideally via SEWBReCORD or the LERC Wales App. Instructions on how to submit records are available here.