Campodeidae
All images on this website have been taken in Leicestershire and Rutland by NatureSpot members. We welcome new contributions - just register and use the Submit Records form to post your photos. Click on any image below to visit the species page. The RED / AMBER / GREEN dots indicate how easy it is to identify the species - see our Identification Difficulty page for more information. A coloured rating followed by an exclamation mark denotes that different ID difficulties apply to either males and females or to the larvae - see the species page for more detail.
Springtails & Bristletails
Springtails are a class of Arthropods. Previously thought to be insects, they are now classified in the arthropod sub-phylum Hexapoda. They are characterised by having a jumping organ, or furca, underneath their body that can fling them to safety if attacked. There are around 250 UK species in the UK. They are one of the most abundant animal groups and can be found in most moist habitats. Being small and soft-bodied, Springtails can be hard to identify, though a few are recognisable from decent macro photos. The gallery on NatureSpot offers a guide to some of the most common species and the photo ID ratings indicate which can be reasonably identified without keying out a specimen.
Leicestershire and Rutland resources
Alan Cann's Springtail I.D. pages
Keys
Collembola website - UK species key
A Key to the Collembola (Springtails) of Britain and Ireland, Steve Hopkin. FSC Aidgap (£22)
An Illustrated key to the families of British Springtails (Collembola) - Field Studies Council (£3)
Other useful websites and publications
Flickr springtails group - images posted there tagged with "Collembola" usually receive identifications.
For help photographing springtails, see our article on Ultra-Macro Photography.
If you know of other websites or books that you would recommend, do let us know: info@naturespot.org
