Earlier this week I came across a springtail that gave me pause for thought. Allacma fusca was the very first springtail ever described scientifically (De Geer, Act. Stockh. 1743. p.296). At up to 3.5mm long, this is the largest member of the Sminthuridae, and compared to the rest of this family, quite distinctive. Normally, this species is unmistakable, but I hesitated over this specimen. There are two reasons for this. The first is simply that I have been shamefully ignoring springtails of late. The second was the size - only half as big as I would expect Allacma fusca to be. Was I missing something? For this reason, I decided to check the key features:
Yup, Allacma fusca. But why so small? VC55 springtails are still recovering from the drought and heat of 2025 - there are still relatively few adults around (apart from the bulletproof Tomoceridae). Now that the rain is here, things should get back to normal.
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