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Home » Guide » Arthropods (Arthropoda) » Hexapods (Hexapoda) » Springtails and allies (Collembola) » Poduromorpha » Hypogastruridae » Hypogastrura » Toolik Snow Flea (Hypogastrura tooliki)
Photo#264438
Springtails are real??? - Hypogastrura tooliki
Copyright © 2009 John F. Carr

Springtails are real??? - Hypogastrura tooliki
Waltham, Middlesex County, Massachusetts, USA
April 8, 2009
I sifted through leaves enough to be certain that so-called "springtails" did not really exist. But today I saw a bunch of brown spots that looked like this under magnification. Apparently springtails are arboreal. Which is nice, because I prefer photographing things near chest height.

I don't know the size yet -- new lens combination (Nikkor 28mm f/2 AIS, reversed) which I haven't calibrated yet.
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Contributed by John F. Carr on 8 April, 2009 - 5:06pm
Last updated 12 February, 2010 - 6:21am

Moved
Moved from Hypogastrura harveyi.
… John F. Carr, 12 February, 2010 - 6:21am login or register to post comments

Moved
Moved from Hypogastrura.
… John F. Carr, 11 April, 2009 - 5:39am login or register to post comments

Hypogastrura harveyi
Given
1. the 1+1 setae on the 'area verticalis' of the head
2. the long anal spines
3. the long setae on the posterior margin of the 4th and 5th abdominal segments.
… Frans Janssens, 11 April, 2009 - 2:35am login or register to post comments

Moved
Moved from Hypogastruridae.
… John F. Carr, 10 April, 2009 - 6:55am login or register to post comments

Hypogastrura sp.
You would be surprised how well they can jump... Although most Hypogastruridae have a small furca (a furcula), Hypogastrura are quite powerfull jumpers.
… Frans Janssens, 10 April, 2009 - 4:18am login or register to post comments

 
Oh really?
I guess I've always caught snow fleas in the middle of winter in Wisconsin so they're too cold to move much :)
… Natalie Hernandez, 10 April, 2009 - 10:23am login or register to post comments

 
The vernacular name 'snow fleas'
refers to 'fleas' hopping on the snow. One of the remarkable characteristics of fleas is that they are excellent jumpers. The name 'snow fleas' is implicitly refering to that capability.

However, there are other springtail species that lost their furca completely and as such lost their capability to jump. Most of them are grouped in the family Neanuridae.
So, 'springless springtails' do exist as well ;-)

For an intro in the diversity of springtails feel free to visit collembola.org.
… Frans Janssens, 11 April, 2009 - 2:27am login or register to post comments

 
Interesting
Thanks for the info, you have the best collembola pictures I have ever seen. I've never actually seen Hypogastruids jump so I'll have to watch for that next time I see a group. I think this is why Entomology is so fun, always something new to learn :)
… Natalie Hernandez, 11 April, 2009 - 2:16pm login or register to post comments

Hypogastruridae
Really common family of Springtails, these guys have a really reduced tail though, so they don't spring like some of the other families. Still cute little chubbers though!

http://bugguide.net/node/view/16160
… Natalie Hernandez, 8 April, 2009 - 11:54pm login or register to post comments

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