The problem with scales

Scales are often used as an identification feature for springtails. The problem is, scales are easily lost. Take this specimen of Tomocerus minor:



Tomocerus species are heavily scaled and this gives them their characteristic dark colour. But the scales are easily lost - the left side of the abdomen of this specimen shows the dark scales, but on the right side it looks like a golden coloured animal. Scales in specific locations are a diagnostic feature for many species, e.g. Lepidocyrtus lignorum has scales on the basal segments of the antennae:



I use a small paintbrush to manipulate springtails - I find the easiest way to pick them up is with a moist brush. This often dislodges scales, but using a pooter to move springtails is also quite rough. Scales are also commonly lost from specimens preserved in 70% isopropanol. So the answer to the missing scales problem is:

• If scales are an important identification feature and you can see them, you're a winner.
• But if you can't see any scales, it doesn't mean they weren't there originally - keep this in mind.

Vernacular Names for Springtails

As far as I am aware, there are no official, "common" (English "vernacular") names for springtails. There are official checklists of Latin names but springtails generally do not have common names. This is a chicken and egg situation. Springtails don't have vernacular names because most people ignore them, but without English names, the Latin binomials are very off-putting to members of the public. It's a vicious circle. A case in point are the marvellous, largely Victorian, common names of moths - Ghost Moth, Large Yellow Underwing, Orange Swift, etc - which have inspired generations of moth recorders.

We use Latin binomial names as international currency so that everyone worldwide knows exactly which species they are referring to. The practice of simply making English names up on the spot is to be deplored as it can make identification chaotic. There is a scientific method avoid confusion with vernacular names. "Official" bodies maintain "approved lists" of vernacular names which are based on but distinct from the checklists of Latin names. For example, the British Mycology Society maintains an an approved list of English names for fungi. For springtails, I guess the official body to create and maintain such a list would be the Royal Entomological Society (since there isn't a Royal Collembola Society - yet), but they've never done so as far as I'm aware.

Many groups of insects do have common names but they're the pretty ones that you might even hear David Attenborough talking about - bees, butterflies, dragonflies, etc. Springtails - who cares? Well I do. And yet I have no wish to sow confusion by simply making names up, but we need names that will stick in the public imagination. There is a logical method to generate such names - transliteration of the Latin binomials, at least where these are descriptive. So:



Allacma fusca - Dark Allacma

Campodea fragilis -

Cyphoderus albinus - White Ant's Nest Springtail

Deuterosminthurus pallipes -

Dicyrtoma fusca - Dark Dicyrtoma

Dicyrtomidae -

Dicyrtomina saundersi - Saunder's Globby

Entomobrya albocincta - White-banded Springtail

Entomobrya intermedia -

Entomobrya multifasciata -

Entomobrya nicoleti -

Entomobrya nivalis -

Entomobryidae -

Folsomia candida -

Heteromurus nitidus -

Hypogastrura viatica -

Hypogastruridae -

Isotoma viridis -

Isotomidae -

Isotomurus palustris -

Isotomurus plumosus -

Jordanathrix nr. superba -

Katiannidae -

Lepidocyrtus lignorum -

Lepidocyrtus violaceus -

Orchesella cincta - Banded Springtail

Orchesella villosa - Shaggy Springtail

Pogonognathellus flavescens -

Pogonognathellus longicornis - Longhorned Springtail

Sminthuridae -

Sminthurides aquaticus -

Sminthurides malmgreni -

Sminthurinus aureus -

Sminthurus viridis -

Tomoceridae -

Tomocerus minor -

Tomocerus vulgaris -

Vertagopus arboreus -

Vertagopus cinereus -

Pronunciation Guide to Springtail Names

Some of the Latin binomial names for springtails are difficult to pronounce, so this is my attempt to make this hurdle easier to get over. In modern usage there is no absolute "correct" way to pronounce Latin words. In classical Latin, there was no soft c, so c's were pronounced as k (hard c). In modern usage, the soft c is more common, even though classical scholars may be offended by this. It's often said that Latin is a living language, and if it is, it has to change with the times. If you disagree with my suggested pronunciations, that's fine (I'm no Latin expert). This guide for the bewildered is only trying to give people a place to start.


Allacma fusca - ah-lack-ma fuss-cah

Campodea fragilis - cam-poe-dee-ah fra-jill-iss

Cyphoderus albinus - sigh-foh-dare-uss al-bin-uss

Deuterosminthurus pallipes - dew-ter-oh-smin-thew-ure-uss pal-lip-ees

Dicyrtoma fusca - dice-toe-ma fuss-cah

Dicyrtomidae - dice-toe-min-id-ay

Dicyrtomina saundersi - dice-toe-me-nah saunders-eye

Entomobrya albocincta - ent-toe-moe-bry-ah albo-sink-tah

Entomobrya intermedia - ent-toe-moe-bry-ah inter-media

Entomobrya multifasciata - ent-toe-moe-bry-ah multi-fass-see-atah

Entomobrya nicoleti - ent-toe-moe-bry-ah nicole-etty

Entomobrya nivalis - ent-toe-moe-bry-ah niv-allis

Entomobryidae - ent-toe-moe-bry-id-ay

Folsomia candida - foll-sow-miah can-did-ah

Heteromurus nitidus - hetero-mure-uss nit-id-uss

Hypogastrura viatica - hypo-gast-true-rah vih-ah-tih-cah

Hypogastruridae - hypo-gast-true-rid-ay

Isotoma viridis - iso-toe-mah vir-id-iss

Isotomidae - iso-toe-mid-ay

Isotomurus palustris - iso-toe-mure-uss pal-uss-tris

Isotomurus plumosus - iso-toe-mure-uss plume-oh-sus

Jordanathrix nr. superba - jordan-ah-thrix superb-ah

Katiannidae - kat-ian-id-ay

Lepidocyrtus lignorum - lep-id-oh-sir-tuss lig-nor-um

Lepidocyrtus violaceus - lep-id-oh-sir-tuss viol-ace-ee-uss

Orchesella cincta - ork-ess-sellah sink-tah

Orchesella villosa - ork-ess-sellah vill-oh-sah

Pogonognathellus flavescens - pogo-noh-nath-ell-uss flav-ess-sens

Pogonognathellus longicornis - pogo-noh-nath-ell-uss long-ghee-corn-iss

Sminthuridae - smin-thee-ure-id-ay

Sminthurides aquaticus - smin-thee-ure-id-ease aq-quat-tee-cuss

Sminthurides malmgreni - smin-thee-ure-id-ease malm-gren-ee

Sminthurinus aureus - smin-thee-ure-id-ease ore-ee-uss

Sminthurus viridis - smin-thee-ure-uss vir-id-iss

Tomoceridae - tom-oh-ser-id-ay

Tomocerus minor - tom-oh-ser-uss

Tomocerus vulgaris - tom-oh-ser-uss vulg-arr-iss

Vertagopus arboreus - verta-goh-pus ar-bore-ee-uss

Vertagopus cinereus - verta-goh-pus sin-err-air-ee-uss