Vol. 3: Insects |
Order: Collembola |
Species accounts
Varied springtail
Isotoma viridis
FAMILY
Entomobryidae
TAXONOMY
Isotoma viridis Bourlet, 1839, Europe.
OTHER COMMON NAMES
English: Green springtail, snow flea.
PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS
Body is clothed with short hairs. Grows to 0.08–0.16 in (2–4 mm) in length. Colors may be dark green, greenish yellow, lilac, blackish blue, reddish, purple, or dark brown, usually with small, pale dorsal spots. Well-developed furcula.
DISTRIBUTION
Palearctic region.
HABITAT
This species dwells in surface litter and is common in gardens in soil, grass, and snow.
BEHAVIOR
They run actively and have a strong springing movement.
FEEDING ECOLOGY AND DIET
Fungal hyphae, spores, decaying leaf matter, and algae constitute their normal diet. When such food items are in short supply, they may feed on nematodes or exhibit cannibalism.
REPRODUCTIVE BIOLOGY
Spermatophores are deposited on the substrate by the male and subsequently picked up by the female; mature females lay clutches of 27–54 eggs.
CONSERVATION STATUS
Not listed by the IUCN.
SIGNIFICANCE TO HUMANS
None known.
Water springtail
Podura aquatica
FAMILY
Poduridae
TAXONOMY
Podura aquatica Linnaeus, 1758, Europe.
OTHER COMMON NAMES
German: Wasserfloh; Italian: Pulce d’acqua.
PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS
This species is 0.08 in (2 mm) long and dark blue to reddish brown in color; it has short legs and antennae.
DISTRIBUTION
Northern Hemisphere.
Isotoma viridis
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Order: Collembola |
Vol. 3: Insects |
Podura aquatica |
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Sminthurus viridis |
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HABITAT |
PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS |
Semiaquatic. They live and feed on the surface of standing water, but they do not lay their eggs in the water.
BEHAVIOR
Nothing is known.
They have a distinct and well-developed furcula and a globular shape. Grow to 0.1 in (2.5 mm) in length. Long, elbowed antennae. An irregular pattern of pigment (green, brown, yellow) over the body.
DISTRIBUTION
FEEDING ECOLOGY AND DIET
They are scavengers, feeding on decaying animal and vegetable matter.
Cosmopolitan; originally from Europe, now spread around the world through commerce.
HABITAT
REPRODUCTIVE BIOLOGY
Nothing is known.
CONSERVATION STATUS
Not listed by the IUCN.
SIGNIFICANCE TO HUMANS
None known.
Occur in areas where temperature and rainfall are suitable (more than 9.8 in, or 250 mm, of rain in the growing season).
BEHAVIOR
When disturbed, is able to jump as far as 12 in (30 cm).
FEEDING ECOLOGY AND DIET
Biting mouthparts; the young eat patches of leaves, and adults skeletonize leaves.
REPRODUCTIVE BIOLOGY
Lucerne flea
Sminthurus viridis
FAMILY
Sminthuridae
TAXONOMY
Podura viridis Linnaeus, 1758, “Europe.”
OTHER COMMON NAMES
English: Clover springtail, alfalfa springtail; German: Luzernefloh.
The male attaches a stalked spermatophore to the soil or low vegetation. The female places it into her genital opening. Females lay clusters of 40 eggs in the soil during winter; there are three generations each winter. In spring drought and tem- perature-resistant eggs are produced, which do not hatch until the following autumn.
CONSERVATION STATUS
Not listed by IUCN.
SIGNIFICANCE TO HUMANS
Considered a pest of legume pastures (lupines, lentils, beans, and field peas). The predatory mites Bdellodes lapidaria and Neomolgus capillatus keep it under biological control.
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Vol. 3: Insects |
Order: Collembola |
Resources
Books
Christiansen, Kenneth A., and Peter F. Bellinger. The Collembola of North America North of the Rio Grande: A Taxonomic Analysis. Grinnell, IA: Grinnell College, 1981.
Coleman, David C., and D. A. Crossley. Fundamentals of Soil Ecology. San Diego: Acedemic Press, 1996.
Maynard, E. A. A Monograph of the Collembola or Springtail Insects of New York State. Ithaca, NY: Comstock Publishing Co, Inc., 1951.
Hopkin, S. P. Biology of the Springtails (Insecta: Collembola).
Oxford, U.K.: Oxford University Press, 1997.
Lubbock, J. B. Monograph of the Collembola and Thysanura.
London: Ray Society, 1873.
Salmon, J. T. An Index to the Collembola. Vol. 1. Bulletin no. 7. Wellington, New Zealand: Royal Society of New Zealand, 1964.
Handschin, E. Die Tierwelt Deutschlands und der angrenzenden Meeresteile. Vol. 16: Urinsekten oder Aperygota (Protura, Collembola, Diplura und Thysanura), edited by F. Dahl. Jena, Germany: [n.p.], 1929.
Other
Bellinger, P. F., K. A. Christiansen, and F. Janssens. “Checklist of the Collembola, 1996–2003.” (11 Feb. 2003). <http://www.collembola.org>.
“Collembola.” Feb. 1997 (11 Feb. 2003).
<http://www.missouri.edu/bioscish/coll.html>.
Natalia von Ellenrieder, PhD
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