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Home » Guide » Arthropods (Arthropoda) » Hexapods (Hexapoda) » Springtails and allies (Collembola) » Elongate-bodied Springtails (Entomobryomorpha) » Isotomidae » Proisotominae » Proisotoma » Proisotoma minuta
Photo#94106
springtail - Proisotoma minuta
Copyright © 2007 tom murray

springtail - Proisotoma minuta
Harvard, Worcester County, Massachusetts, USA
January 28, 2007
Size: ~1.2mm
I found some of these out on the snow.
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Contributed by tom murray on 28 January, 2007 - 7:49pm
Last updated 29 January, 2007 - 7:30am

Thanks Frans
Is there another angle I should get a picture of for a definitive id?
… tom murray, 29 January, 2007 - 7:31am login or register to post comments

 
Hi Tom
The problem with IDing these small isotomids is that the currently available keys use very minute characters, such as position of certain setae or sensilla, number of teeth on the claw, shape of the empodium (the smaller upper 'claw'), shape of the PAO, etc. With current 5:1 macrotechnology these characters cannot be made visible. What I hope to do is this: given we can collect sufficient 5:1 macro's we might discover new characters that can be used to recognise the species at that magnification; this is a pioneering effort without guarantee that we will succeed. But with your help, at least we can try ;-) We need a lot of pictures though...
As with the recent case of Hydroisotoma schaefferi, a set of pictures from different angle are always welcome.
… Frans Janssens, 29 January, 2007 - 9:48am login or register to post comments

 
Lots of pictures
As I get more springtails, I'll reshoot them from different angles with the new lens, and see what we can come up with.
… tom murray, 29 January, 2007 - 6:37pm login or register to post comments

Proisotoma minuta
It is an educated guess. The taxonomic characters to distinguish the species of Proisotoma are not visible. The small white dot in front of the black eyepatch is the post-antennal organ (pao), an hygrometric device. Given the size of the pao is about equal to that of a single eye, I decided tentatively it might be P. minuta.
… Frans Janssens, 29 January, 2007 - 6:29am login or register to post comments

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