Some springtail genera/species to know:

Poduridae

Peter Shaw

Surface dwelling poduromorpha:I’ll start with one of the best known springtails – actually not as common as claimed, and taxonomically way out on its own. (DNA does confirm it belongs in the podurids!!)

Podura aquatica L.: up to 2mm, found on water surfaces, often in huge aggregations.

Podura aquatica aggregations

But be careful; often these aggregations turn out to be Hypogastrura or Ceratophysella spp, easily told by their relatively tiny furca.

I have seen good specimens of Podura from the fens, dutch polders, and London park lakes, but swarms on temporary water surfaces are probably something else! Where swarms are blown together by the wind, poke them and they jump away in all directions – early descriptions referred to gunpowder!

Furca of Hypogastrura manubrialis

Neanura muscorum

A big (>3mm) blue podurid, long-haired and rather teddy-bear like, found singly or in small numbers in almost every non-saline habitat in the UK! Not much like it apart from the even longer-haired Lathyriopyga longiseta (much scarcer, though apparently expanding northwards).

Neanura muscorumLathyriopyga longiseta

Hypogastruridae: Hypogastura and Ceratophysella

Hypogastrura is a common genus of podurids, often in dense swarms. Hypogastrura purpurescens is a classic compost heap species; taxonomy largely based on patterns of clavate setae by the feet.

Ceratophysella

Ceratophysella is a common widespread genus that looks a lot like Hypogastrura but with much larger anal spines.

Friesea mirabilis

This is a very common sp, virtually ubiquitous. It is said to feed on soil fauna – rotifers, nematodes, though you’d never know from its slow dumpy appearance, small size or ordinary mouthparts.

Also its mucro is present but tiny and easily overlooked; the best guide are its anal spines, which number 3. If you see 3 anal spines, it’s a Friesea.

Having got Friesea, you need to check the mucro (fused = F. truncata) and whether body hairs have rounded ends (=F. claviseta).

© Frans Jansenns

“Onychiurus”There are some 30 spp of blind white onychiurids, all having pseudocelli to secrete repellents and complex PAOs. These are easily cultured, good experimental animals, but a taxonomic quagmire. Steve Hopkin refused point blank to give me a name for any!

Yellow = Protaphorura aurantiacaProtaphorura armata

To make matters worse, what all used to be Onychiurus have been split up: Protaphorura, Kalaphorura, Oligophorura…. They need clearing and phase contrast to try the book IDs, so we may not get far with any we collect!

Anurida maritima

• Ubiquitous on inter-tidal stones, coming out c. 1 hour after tides has gone out. No furca, very waterproof + climbs any surface.

Anurida maritima