Lawn prawns, forest hoppers, water fleas — there are a few names for the tiny creatures you may find in your home after recent heavy rain.
Wavell Heights resident Helen Bender first noticed the tiny creatures dead in her home in December and has been on a mission to find out what exactly they were.
"The best way of describing them is [like] microscopic prawns or shrimps," Ms Bender said.
"I've only ever found them dead inside my house. I've never seen a live one.
The largest forest hopper Ms Bender found was about 5 millimetres, but others ranged in size from 1 to 2mm.
"I have spent quite a few weeks trying to hunt down what they were and, if they were a problem, what I could do about them," she said.
That is when Queensland Museum collection manager for molluscs and crustaceans Darryl Potter offered his expertise.
He said the small creatures were indeed a type of crustacean known as amphipods, but unlike crabs, crayfish, lobsters and prawns with five pairs of legs, the lawn prawns had seven pairs.
Amphipods have also adapted to life on land and can grow to 7mm in length.
They come out at night after periods of rain and often enter lowset homes, pets' bowls, swimming pools and other human environments.
However, come morning, they dry out and die.
Amphipods feed on microorganisms in the soil and contribute to the decomposition of the forest floor.
They are harmless to humans and pets and are widespread across parts of Queensland and NSW, where there is plenty of rainfall and warm conditions.
Mr Potter said the animals were also known as leafhoppers because they usually emerged from mulch and leaf litter or as carpet prawns because the first time many people noticed them was when they entered their homes.
"We've had an incredible amount of rain recently, so these things have started coming out because it's activated them," he said.
"The particular species people find, called Talitroides topitotum, was actually introduced ages ago from Sri Lanka, and now it's found pretty broadly across the temperate and tropical parts of the world.
"We do have a whole range of native ones, but much like the problems you get with cane toads and Asian house geckos, the invaders are more successful, so they tend to be found by people after wet weather."
Ms Bender suspected the influx of tiny creatures was related to the rain and noticed them "come in waves" into her home.
"The funny thing is I don't even have lawn or garden beds," she said.
