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Springtail
Related Category: Zoology: Invertebrates
common name for any of the minute, primitive wingless insects of the order Collembola. The springtail is named for a springlike mechanism on the underside of the abdomen.
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Springtails are distributed worldwide.
They live on every continent and have been found at the most southerly location ( Antarctica, 84˚ 47’ S, ...
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Springtails, including Snow Fleas are so different from other insects that many experts believe they may not be insects at all. But at the very least, they have their own Order - the Collembola.
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Springtails and bristle-tails live in damp concealed places - under stones or tree-bark, in moss, and in the decaying vegetable or animal matter which serves as food for most of them. Some species, however, eat fresh plant-tissues.
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Springtails are very small and primitive insects. They even belong to a subclass of the insects, along with among others the Silverfish and Coneheads: the Apterygota (=wingless). Within this group not even the adults ever have wings.
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The collembolans or springtails
Collembola are small insects, and adults seldom exceed 6 mm in length. Most species live under stones or logs and in moist soil or leaf litter. They feed as scavengers on algae and decaying matter.
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The Hexapoda also include the following insectlike groups: the Collembola (springtails); the Protura, which are very tiny and eyeless; and the Diplura, also eyeless.
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Springtail Squid Squid - Neil Vincent Squid Loligo St Andrew's Cross Spider St Andrew's Cross Spider, Argiope keyserlingi St Andrew's Cross Spider, juvenile Stacey Bien (front): Runner-up, TAFE and Tertiary ...
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 See also: Spider, Arthropoda, Reptile, Snail, Arachnid
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