Amanda Gladys

Springtail #101

Order Collembola (Coal-m-bowl-uh)

Most abundant insects in the world!

Classification

• Kingdom Animalia• Phylum Arthrodopa• Subphylum Hexapoda• Class Entognatha• Order Collembola

Suborder ArthropleonaSuborder Symphypleona

Collembola have been around at least 400 million years,

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.

Distinctive Characteristics

• Collophore “glue-piston”A tube like structure located on ventral side of first a

bdominal 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 tenac

ulum releases Springtails FLY!

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.

Mating Behavior

Indirect or External reproduction. Males leave spermatophore for fem

ales to find. Female collect the spermatophore a

nd inseminate themselves. In some species males will eat sper

matophore to eliminate competition.

Some species have elaborate courtship rituals.

Life Cycle

• Ametablous (egg-larvae-adult) • 3-40 instars before they reach sexual matu

rity. • 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.

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.

Economic Importance

• Lucerne Flea in New Zealand and Australia is a serious pest of alfalfa.

• Hypogastrura armata is a frequent

pest of commercial mushrooms.

Classroom Activities

• http://hyper.vcsun.org/HyperNews/nherr/get/nherr/NSF2/46.html Proposal

• http://www.earthlife.net/insects/collcare.html How to keep and care for springtails in the classroom

• Habitat Diversity, traits, evolution.

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.

Web Resources

• http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/depts/ent/clinic/Bugofwk/970003/springta.htm

• http://insects.tamu.edu/fieldguide/aimg1.html• http://www.collembola.org/ ***• http://www.missouri.edu/~bioscish/coll.html• http://www.ento.csiro.au/Ecowatch/Hexapods/col

lembola.htm• http://www.earthlife.net/insects/collcare.html*• http://www.cals.ncsu.edu/course/ent425/compen

dium/collem.html#facts

Book Resources

• Cranshaw, Whitney. Garden Insects of North America: The Ultimate Guide to Backyard Bugs. Princeton University Press: Princeton, NJ. 2004..

• Castner, James L. Photographic Atlas of Entomology and Guide to Insect Identification. Feline Press: Gainesville, FL. 2000.