springtail - Isotoma viridis - BugGuide.Net

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Photo#93678

Copyright © 2007 tom murray

springtail - Isotoma viridis

Harvard, Worcester County, Massachusetts, USA
January 24, 2007

Found on the snow surface.

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springtail - Isotoma viridis

springtail - Isotoma viridis

Contributed by tom murray on 24 January, 2007 - 8:37pm
Last updated 26 January, 2007 - 12:18pm

Thanks Frans

I didn't get a measurement on this, but it was in the 3mm range. That's good to know about the term snow flea, I'll be more careful what I call these now.

… tom murray, 26 January, 2007 - 12:18pm

Isotoma viridis

Given it is a few mm. I. viridis is one of the 'snow fleas' = Collembola that are active on the snow surface. Note that 'snow flea' is a very inaccurate name for IDing springtails as it groups members of unrelated families. There are also Collembola that are active below 0 degrees: the 'ice flea' or 'glacier flea'. Other inaccurate names that group several different springtail species...
Note that I. viridis is quite variable in background colour and in pigmentation.

… Frans Janssens, 25 January, 2007 - 5:40am

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