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Photo#2122511
Springtails collected in Waltham - Desoria trispinata

Springtails collected in Waltham - Desoria trispinata
Waltham, Middlesex County, Massachusetts, USA
Collected in Waltham in June 2019 and kept in captivity since

Images of this individual: tag all
Springtails collected in Waltham - Desoria trispinata Springtails collected in Waltham - Desoria trispinata Springtails collected in Waltham - Desoria trispinata Springtails collected in Waltham - Desoria trispinata Springtails collected in Waltham - Desoria trispinata Springtails collected in Waltham - Desoria trispinata Springtails collected in Waltham - Desoria trispinata Springtails collected in Waltham - Desoria trispinata Springtails collected in Waltham - Desoria trispinata Springtails collected in Waltham - Desoria trispinata Springtails collected in Waltham - Desoria trispinata Springtails collected in Waltham - Desoria trispinata Springtails collected in Waltham - Desoria trispinata Springtails collected in Waltham - Desoria trispinata Springtails collected in Waltham - Desoria trispinata Springtails collected in Waltham - Desoria trispinata Springtails collected in Waltham - Desoria trispinata

Moved

Desoria sp.

 
Desoria sp
Thank you! Do you know what photos if any I would need to get this to species?

 
Do you have a microscope?
To ID species of Desoria we need to see microscopic details which cannot be resolved in macroscopic pictures.

 
I have a lens that attaches t
I have a lens that attaches to my phone (uHandy) although I'm not sure if it counts as truly microscopic or if it would be able to photograph enough details. I could try to get photos using that and then upload here. What parts of the springtail should I be looking at?

edit: I've attached some basic photos using that lens. Let me know if you think this would be enough magnification

 
Great!
I'm interested in what is possible with such add-on lens + smartphone setup. The approach we will use : I'll make an educated guess at the species and you will check the diagnostic features.
First attempt : Desoria trispinata. That is a very common and in the USA widespread blue species of Desoria. The main diagnostic feature is the shape of the mucro (that is the terminal 'claw' on the 2 arms of the furca. It should have 3 distinct teeth (hence the name). To make them visible you will need to prepare a specimen by cutting off its furca in a drop of ethanol (use 2 needles to do that). Then put the furca between object glass and cover glass in a drop of ethanol and squeeze the cover glass gently will turning it. The 2 arms of of the furca will then open and the mucro will then become visible in lateral aspect. You may need some practice to get the result we need ;-)
For the picture make sure to focus on the mucro.
Good luck!

 
Photos added
I struggled with this but I've attached some of the photos I took. I tried with a few different individuals and I'm not sure if I captured what you're looking for. Thanks again for all the help with this

 
Desoria trispinata
Confirmed.
The 1st extra img is the best one to see the 3 teeth :
After downloading the img and blowing it up x3 one can see in the left mucro the 3 teeth : apical tooth (white dot), subapical tooth (white dot), and distinct lateral basal tooth.
Great job, Lily!

 
Thank you
Thank you so much! I'm glad we were able to get them to species!

 
Thank you
Thank you so much for the detailed instructions! I won't be able to attempt this for a few days but I will reply here when I've added some more photos.

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