Springtail
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Springtails (Order Collembola) are small insects whose chief ecological function are as scavengers. Often they are quite abundant in their habitat, numbering in the millions of individuals per acre. Species with a furcula (forked structure) on their abdomen jump by extending the furcula down and back.
Identification
Springtails are small, wingless insects usually under 6mm in length. The abdomen has 6 or fewer segments, and no cerci. The antennae are short, with 4-6 segments. Most species have a furcula on the 4th or 5th abdominal segment. They also have a tubular structure, or collophore, on the first abdominal segment. Their mouthparts are used for chewing.
Life Cycle
Springtails undergo simple metamorphosis. Nymphs of this order are similar to the adult.
Habitat
Springtails are mostly found in soil and leaf litter, under bark, in fungi or decaying wood, and on the surface of freshwater lakes and ponds. Some are found on vegetation.
Taxonomy
Number of species
There are 314 species found in North America, and 2000 worldwide.
Suborders
There are two suborders in this order, principally separated by segmentation and body shape.
Bibliography
Borrer, DJ and RE White. A Field Guide to Insects: America north of Mexico. Houghton Mifflin Company: Boston, 1970. ISBN 0-395-91170-2