Class and Order - COLLEMBOLA
(Greek, kolla= glue; embolon= tail)
Common Name: springtails
Distribution: Cosmopolitan

Description
Springtails are small arthropods closely related to insects. They are soft-bodied, wingless and compound eyes are absent or weakly developed. Mandibles are well developed but hidden inside head folds until pushed out for feeding. Body length ranges from 0.2-6.0 mm. Antennae have 4-6 segments. The abdomen is six-segmented and has a specialised appendage called a furcula on the fourth segment. The furcula is used for jumping and gives the arthropod its common name of springtail. When the arthropod is at rest, the furcula is folded under the body and is caught on a specialised hook on the third segment. When the furcula is released it rapidly moves downward and hurls the arthropod into the air. Springtails are an extremely ancient order and are known from Devonian fossil deposits.

Nymph
There is no metamorphic cycle of egg-larva-pupa-adult. On hatching from the eggs, nymphs resemble miniature adults. The immature springtail nymphs pass through several moults of the exoskeleton until they reach adult size and maturity.

Members
Springtails.

Food
Springtails are abundant in decaying plant material and are one of the principal litter organisms on rainforest floors. Most springtails consume decaying plant material but some species attack fungi or feed on growing plants.

Importance
Springtails appear to be extremely important in the biological cycles of plant communities because they assist in the decomposition of litter. They are generally present in immense numbers and as such they often form an important food source for ground foraging forest birds. Sminthurus viridis, the lucerne flea, is an important economic pest that attacks the foliage of lucerne and clover. The commercial production of mushrooms must ensure that infestation by springtails is controlled, otherwise considerable damage can be done to the developing fungi. High humidity, temperature levels and the mushroom beds are ideal for springtail reproduction. Populations then transfer their feeding to the developing mushrooms. Control is usually achieved by bed sterilisation or by low toxicity insecticides such as pyrethrum.