Tiny springtail insect magnified 10x
Springtails (Collembola) are a group of six-legged creatures no longer considered to be insects (for taxonomic reasons too complex for this space). They are ancient creatures - the earliest fossil records date back over 400 million years ( before the dinosaurs). They have two main body forms, either an elongated form or the spherical form illustrated here. You need to have sharp eyes to see them in the garden because springtails are mostly very small (1 - 3 mm in length). They get their common name from the special organ underneath their abdomen which can hold tension like a spring and be released quickly to propel the creature into the air. They have a simple lifecycle in that eggs hatch into miniature forms of their parents and go through several moults until adulthood. They mostly feed on decaying vegetable matter and are therefore harmless. They thrive in moist conditions and may occasionally be found in large numbers floating on pools of water like dust. There is an urban myth that springtails can cause severe skin infection in humans, but the scientific literature does not support this. In fact medical scientists label such claims as delusory parasitosis. However there is one agricultural pest species in Australia, the lucerne flea Sminthurus viridis, but it is not usually found in gardens.
Size: 5107px × 3398px
Location: Pomonal, Victoria, Australia
Photo credit: © Denis Crawford / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: australia, collembola, decay, detritus, entognathous, feeder, hexapod, insect, macro, springtail, tiny, vegetation
