1. Most abundant insects in the world!
Amanda Gladys
Springtail #101
Order Collembola (Coal-m-bowl-uh)

2. Classification Kingdom Animalia Phylum Arthrodopa Subphylum Hexapoda
Class Entognatha
Order Collembola Suborder Arthropleona
Suborder Symphypleona
Collembola have been around at least 400 million years,

3. Collembola Characteristics
Wingless
Ametabolous Metamorphosis
Endogathic chewing mouthparts (located inside the head cavity)
0.25mm-10mm in size
More than 6,000 known species in the world! Unidentified species estimates as many as 50,000.

4. Distinctive Characteristics
Collophore “glue-piston”
A tube like structure located on ventral side of first abdominal segment. Secretions help some stick to smooth surfaces, others have been observed grooming with secretions. Function is unknown but thought to help springtail maintain water balance.
Furcula
Is a retractable organ that stays cocked, when tenaculum releases Springtails FLY!

5. Habitat Soil, leaf litter,
Decaying wood, fungi, mosses, caves, shorelines (freshwater & marine), the surface of water, deserts in Australia, rainforest canopy, Antarctica glaciers and the nest of social insects.

6. Mating Behavior Indirect or External reproduction.
Males leave spermatophore for females to find.
Female collect the spermatophore and inseminate themselves.
In some species males will eat spermatophore to eliminate competition.
Some species have elaborate courtship rituals.

7. Life Cycle Ametablous (egg-larvae-adult)
3-40 instars before they reach sexual maturity.
Several generations per year.
Lifespan month to a year and a half.
Females lay ~ 150 eggs in their lifetime.
Quickest hatch time ~4 days
Longest hatch time 110 days.

8. Life cycle
Collembola continue to molt after they reach sexual maturity.
Reproductive activity occurs only during alternate instars: each reproductive stage is followed by a molt, a short period of feeding, and another molt.

9. Economic Importance
Lucerne Flea in New Zealand and Australia is a serious pest of alfalfa.
Hypogastrura armata is a frequent
pest of commercial mushrooms.

10. Classroom Activities
Proposal
How to keep and care for springtails in the classroom
Habitat Diversity, traits, evolution.

11. Interesting Facts
Population densities can reach 750 million individuals per hectare (10000 m2) (300 million per acre) have been found in some grassland communities. (Up to 30 different species in one area).
In Austria, firemen called to the scene of a chemical spill only to find a very large patch of springtails.

12. Web Resources
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13. Book Resources
Cranshaw, Whitney. Garden Insects of North America: The Ultimate Guide to Backyard Bugs. Princeton University Press: Princeton, NJ
Castner, James L. Photographic Atlas of Entomology and Guide to Insect Identification. Feline Press: Gainesville, FL