Springtails
were the @SpeciesofUK from 3rd to 9th March 2013.
Springtails are tiny animals named for their ability to
jump. They aren't actually a single
species. They're a large grouping, 'Subclass,' of several thousand species, of
which about 250 are found in the UK.
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| Springtails [Source: Flickr Creative Commons © smccann] |
Springtails are found all over the UK, most
of the year round. They eat vegetation such as rotting leaves and bacteria, and
so are often found in leaf litter and compost.[1]
What are springtails?
Springtails, Collembola, are a type of hexapod, meaning they have six legs on a
thorax, just like insects. Springtails, however, aren’t insects. Insects have
external mouthparts, whereas springtails don’t.[2]
Springtails are even more numerous than
insects. A cubic metre of topsoil can contain 100,000 individuals. Mites are
the only other group that bears comparison.[3]
Springtails are split into two sub-groupings:
the linear springtails and the globular springtails.[4]
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| Linear Springtail [Source: Flickr Creative Commons © Will_wildlife] |
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| Globular Springtail [Source: Flickr Creative Commons © Sandra-Photographie] |
Being hexapods, springtails and insects are
also part of the larger grouping of invertebrates called ‘arthropods,’ along
with arachnids and crustaceans. Arthropods are easily the most successful animals on Earth,
making up three-quarters of all known living and fossil organisms, over one
million species in all.[5]
Springtails are the first arthropods that we have featured on @SpeciesofUK.
Another names for springtails is the “snow
flea,” derived from some species’ habit of gathering en masse on the surface of
snow.[6]
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| 'Snow Fleas' [Source: Flickr Creative Commons © mbalazs2] |
Description
There are around 250 species of springtail in
the UK. Most have an elongated body, six legs and two antennae.[7]
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| Springtail [Source: Flickr Creative Commons © Jurgen Otto] |
The springtail has two very remarkable
adaptations – a springboard and a grooming device.
The springboard is a special forked tail called the furcula that the
springtail keeps folded under its abdomen. It’s held in place with a latch,
which when released lets the tail fall to the ground and propels the springtail
into the air.[8]
The grooming device is a tube-like structure called the
collophore, which many species use for grooming, stretching it right across
their head and back. In fact, the Springtail’s scientific name Collembola is derived from Greek colle (glue) and embolon
(piston), referring this tube which people used to think was used for sticking
to surfaces.[9]
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| Underside of Springtail showing Furcula and Collophore [Source: Flickr Creative Commons © cquintin] |
Here is a fabulous David Attenborough video
of springtails in full grooming and jumping action!
Springtail size can be 0.2mm up to 6mm, depending on the
species. Some springtails can jump 6 inches into the air, many many times their
own body length.[10]
Springtails are occasionally mistaken for fleas because
they can occur in the home and they jump. But springtails have normal hind legs,
whereas fleas have hind legs modified for jumping. Both springtails are fleas
are wingless. But fleas lost their wing through evolution as a parastie,
whereas springtails never evolved wings in the first place.[11]
Some species of springtail are blind. Others
have eyes with up to eight lenses, held on its head capsule alongside two
antenna.[12]
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| Springtail with Eye Lenses Structure clearly visible [Source: Flickr Creative Commons © cquintin] |
Reproduction and Growth
Springtail reproduction is simple. In most
species, the male deposits a packet of sperm in a droplet on a leaf. The female
wanders over and places her sexual opening over it.[13]
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| Springtail Breeding [Source: Flickr Creative Commons © imarsman] |
In some species, the male entices his mate to pick up his sperm packet by dancing and
head-butting her. Here is a wonderful video of
this absolutely extraordinary behaviour:
Breeding can occur virtually all year round depending on the species. It takes a few weeks to develop from egg to adult.[14]
Springtails have “ametabolous” development, meaning they look the same when they are young as when they are adult, just smaller.[15]
Springtails moult. After about five moults they are sexually mature, but they continue to moult throughout their lifespan.[16]
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| Springtail with Moults [Source: Flickr Creative Commons © cquintin] |
Predator
and Prey
Springtail mouth parts are mostly retracted into the
head. Some have mandibles while others are fluid feeders, having stylet-like
mouthparts.[17]
They feed on algae and decomposing vegetable matter, bacteria and fungi.[18]
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| Springtail on Fungus [Source: Flickr Creative Commons © colinbrown] |
Some springtails are
carnivores and prey on tiny worms, other species of springtails and their eggs.
Unfortunately for them, being so common,
springtails are also a favoured prey for a range of other species: spiders and
beetles especially.[19]
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| Jumping Spider ready to Pounce on a Springtail [Source: Flickr Creative Commons © Thomas Shahan] |
Springtails and People
Springtails are harmless. But in large numbers they can be a bit of a nuisance for gardeners, in greenhouses or seedbeds.[20]
In 1996, fire fighters in Austria were
called out to clean up a chemical spill on a road to discover that the patch
was in fact several million springtails.[21]
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| Springtails Gathering in Large Numbers [Source: Flickr Creative Commons © desultrix] |
Strange but True…
Some springtails can actually emit light, a
process called bioluminescence, though no one seems to be sure why this
happens.[22]
Fantastic information. The photo's are excellent. Looking at making a terrarium and discovered that these lovely little creatures are beneficial. Thank you. I'm off hunting!
ReplyDeleteInteresting post Now I know what the little things all over my garden and greenhouse are.They are more than welcome!
ReplyDeleteHow do you get rid of them in your house and all over your body??
ReplyDeleteI’d like to know how to get rid of them please.
DeleteOur new house ,on or in my dog,sofa carpets
Yuk
Making me feel Im Continueously hoovering anccleaning but to no avail!! Someone please help x
Great resources, you should concentrate on insects. I keep ants and there is hardly any information about the different types of mites, other than their name and description. I never bought the large springtails because some just appeared, a half to one million in size, bulbous and black.
ReplyDelete