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Dicyrtoma fusca + Dicyrtoma dorsosignata + Dicyrtomina ornata
Here's the value pack, bulk discount shot of last weekend's springtail session. It shows all 10 individuals collected in a petri dish in a single 5:1 shot, cropped. I didn't even position them, they drifted to the middle on their own. I did take some 50 shots to get them aligned and somewhat in focus. Kind of like a group shot of people, always somebody blinking.
Let's discuss species, with credit to Frans Jansen for the help (http://collembola.org/).
In the bottom right corner, the dark red/purple individual is Dicyrtoma fusca. It is significantly larger than the others. Here it is isolated:
At 9 o' clock, you see a pair of muddy green/yellow individuals with a distinctive pattern. This is Dicyrtoma dorsosignata, which as of yesterday is confirmed to be the first known report of the species in the Netherlands:
All 7 remaining individuals are the commonly found Dicyrtomina ornata, at different stages in their life cycle. Simplified: the larger the older, the darker the older.
Another interesting thing I learned from Frans is the taxonomy history, and how this affects naming. As you can see from my photo, a singular species can have a wildly different appearance based on its life stage. Early taxonomists sometimes categorized them (incorrectly) as a separate species. For example, this one...
...was once considered to be the species Forma couloni. Then, taxonomists realized it really is a particular variant of Dicyrtomina ornata instead. To fix this mistake, they use the old (incorrect) species name and reuse that name to name the variant. The above photo therefore shows a Dicyrtomina ornata forma couloni. Which you can read as "variant of Dicyrtomina ornata, once considered as species forma couloni".
Collembola usually have 5 juvenile instars, and several adult instars, with females having more instars than males.
As said, credit to Frans for this info.
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comments (15)
I'm taking a little break though from additional springtail discoveries. Just this second session was a huge time sink and energy drain. I definitely want to find a mite though, would be interesting do extreme macro on it. And surely at one point I'll dig in for more.
It brings new challenges though. In hindsight I got lucky they were trapped on the water. That made for easy collecting, they're alive, clean, and on their feet. It's a different story on soil. Even if I'd sacrifice one, I can't position a 1-2mm creature. And it looks like I'm not the only one, almost all photos online of springtails are field photos.
Which is in many ways a good thing, but 5:1 in the field is no joke. Keep expectations low ;) Posted 4 years ago
How exciting if he can come by on Saturday. Definitely pick his brain and observe! Sounds fun. Posted 4 years ago
You have to be able to laugh at life. I find it hilarious. Posted 4 years ago
http://www.janvanduinen.nl/
http://www.janvanduinen.nl/collembola_a.html#8
I'm sure Frans will be right and different life stages complicate things, and Jan also warns that the young ones are hard to separate from minuta ... but I might well have stepped into the trap :-/
Reading your comments on finding these "on soil" : I mostly find them on old leafs in leaf litter and/or on pieces of wood/bark scattered on the groud. It takes a moment of rest and adaptation of the eyes to actually see them (if they're there), but mostly they will be as clean as your specimen from the pond. If you're lucky, one or two might actually sit still long enough to get a camera in focus ;o) Posted 4 years ago, modified 4 years ago
Well put on eyes needing adaptation. I haven't had a lot of time in the garden but did try to find one on soil. Indeed found one on a dry leaf. I tried to pick up the leaf, triggering it to jump away, out of sight :) Just wanted to learn how they respond.
It's going to very difficult in the field, but at least have a basic idea of how to look now, thanks. Not sure if I shared it before, but I find this site hugely inspirational:
https://www.chaosofdelight.org/
It's not just cool creatures, also very artistically photographed. Posted 4 years ago
These colorful cuties are springtails! They are tiny, omnivorous arthropods that were once classified as insects, but are now in their own class, Collembola. They are wingless, blind (or nearly so), and exist in a range of colors including white, blue, yellow, brown, black, and red. They have entognathous mouthparts, meaning their mouthparts are mostly retracted into their heads. Some springtails actually have mandibles with well-developed molars! Weird! Even weirder, some springtails can emit light as a form of communication with their fellow springtails. And, weirder still, if drought hits, some springtails will build a nice, moist shelter made of their own feces. Seriously!
Their most famous characteristic is that they jump when disturbed, hence their common name. They perform their springing feats thanks to a forked structure, called a furcula, which is located underneath their abdomens. It’s held under tension and when released, it flings the springtail into the air, allowing for swift evasion from predators. Within 18 milliseconds, a springtail that is only 1-6 mm long can spring 75-100 mm!
Where do springtails live? The simple answer is: everywhere. There are more than 8,000 species of springtails that can be found in soil around the world, including in the Arctic. They are mainly found in soil; but, also live in leaf litter, on fungi, in snow, under bark, in decaying logs, on vegetation, on the surface of freshwater, in termite nests, and in caves. They are clearly super abundant with estimates of 100,000 individuals per square meter of ground!
Are they harmful? Despite misinformed articles you may read on the internet, springtails are mostly helpful. They consume feces, fungi, algae, bacteria, and other dead organic material. They are beneficial in that they help decompose organic matter and release nutrients into the soil. A few species do feed on live plant material, but the majority of springtails are NOT harmful.
So, most springtails are beneficial. Some are benign. A tiny portion are harmful. Overall, they are gorgeous, fascinating, diverse, complicated, tiny critters that are cute enough to cuddle (if only they weren’t so easily squished).
{Photo taken in the Netherlands by JungleDragon founder, Ferdy Christant. This photo contains three species of springtails, one of which was previously undocumented in the Netherlands.} #JungleDragon #Collembola #Springtails
Not only did Ferdy create JungleDragon, but he is an avid nature lover, photographer, and traveler! Check more of his photos:
https://www.jungledragon.com/user/2/popular
https://www.facebook.com/jungledragonwildlife Posted 4 years ago