Sminthurides bifidus

Moved

… Ryne Pavy, 14 July, 2021 - 9:53am

Sminthurides penicillifer ssp. bifidus female

(put it under S. bifidus).
Now that you have a microscope, you could verify my tentative ID.
There are 2 diagnostic features that you could check.
1. ant.4 is subdivided and each subdivision has 2 rings (a basal one and an apical one)
Example : https://www.collembola.org/images/france/picard/Sminthurides-bifidus-20170411-Frans-Janssens-France-Maine-et-Loire-Cholet-on-aquarium-Leg-20170313-Jerome-Picard.jpg
2. on the hindfoot check the unguiculus (the small inner claw) : it should be apically elongated AND *bifid* (hence the name).
Example :
https://www.collembola.org/images/france/picard/Sminthurides-bifidus-20170421-Frans-Janssens-France-Maine-et-Loire-Cholet-on-aquarium-Leg-20170313-Jerome-Picard.jpg
You need the largest magnification. You will have to sacrify a specimen.
Put it on an object slide in a drop of ethanol. Put on top a cover glass. Gently squeeze the specimen between cover glass and object slide. Some times it helps to twist the cover glass while squeezing. The specimen will be completely deformed but with some luck you will be able to see the diagnostic morphological features in detail to do a proper ID.
Good luck.

… Frans Janssens, 14 July, 2021 - 9:23am

Thank you Frans!

Will collect some specimens from the lake I originally got them from sometime in the next few days, to spare my still-small aquarium population ;)

… Ryne Pavy, 14 July, 2021 - 9:46am