Crop from Springtails playing king of the hill X4

Springtail on a sunchair X4. Focus stacked using zerene.

Springtails on mould X2. Focus stacked using zerene

Springtails in the compost bin X4. Ceratophysella bengtssoni

Salina banksi

Crop from Moulting springtail plus eggs ? X2.

Crop from www.flickr.com/photos/lordv/51929985395/

Globular springtail on dew covered water barrel lid with a red milk bottle top placed behind it. Focus stacked using zerene

Elongate-bodied springtail, Isotomurus, and globular springtail, Sminthurides, on the pond

Damp globular springtail on the greenhouse glass with a bottle top behind it. Focus stacked using zerene

Globular springtail on a fence rail. Focus stacked using zerene

© alpros

Manuela S. Scheuerer

Springtails in the compost bin on a slice of melon skin.

Moulting springtail plus eggs ? X2 on the pond edge. Could not work out what this Sminthurides aquaticus springtail was up to when I took the shot it looked rather odd. When processing the pic I realised it looks as if it's moulting. Whilst studying this I then noticed it seemed to be sitting on a pile of springtail eggs

Springtails at Swell Wood a few days ago. Many thanks to Max Thompson Photo and Ellie Hilsdon who scurried around finding likely-looking logs while I mostly sat at the picnic table!

I think those little green discs - they're only a millimeter across at the most - are some sort of liverwort.

Springtail - Entomobrya albocincta

Globular springtail

Another one from today; looking at sizes and colouration in this Katiannid springtail species. This one is a male. Lateral and dorsal views.

Canon MP-E65mm Macro (at 5x) + 1.4x tele-extender + 25mm extension tube + diffused MT24-EX Twinlite flash.

Had to take a springtail with the MPE-65- taken at 5:1 uncropped. Focus stacked from 2 pics. Bug about 1.8mm long

Another springtail on a clay pot X4. Lepidocyrtus sp.

This beautifully coloured variety is a new type for me. This is the first time i have photographed one.

My first attempt at macro photography. This is a tiny (2mm) Collembola, a hard working shredder in the recycling team in compost piles and soil.

Macro photography is a fascinating subject and gives me a wonderful view on the macrofauna of the soil.

For any macrophotographers out there - this is an unstacked image. I was planning to stack but this little guy would not keep still long enough!

More of these pale yellowish springtails grazing at the edge of the garden pond.

© 2013 Monique van Someren * all rights reserved * please do not use without permission

Baby springtail on clay potX4. Sminthurinus domesticus

Globular springtail on a greenhouse strut. Focus stacked using zerene.

See www.flickr.com/photos/lordv/25346538698/ for a 3D version

Globular springtail X4. Focus stacked using zerene

High wire springtails X4 on mould mycelium

An interesting mature female (1.35 mm) from the garden today. Abdominal segment 6 (abd.6) is less pigmented than abd.5, but does have some darker areas at the tip. There's no orange/red colouration (apart from the little dots where the bothriotricha are anchored). As such, I'm favouring Group 1 rather than Group 2; but I'm open to negotiation!. Whatever, this is an attractive colour form.

[Part of a garden survey of the "novel" springtail Katiannidae Genus nov.1 sp. nov. that I'm doing with FransJanssens@www.collembola.org initially, to establish the size and differences between the various instars. As a result of the initial findings, Frans is speculating that there are two distinct groups:

Group 1 - where abd.6 in adults is pale, and

Group 2 - where abd.6 in adults is dark.

Canon MP-E65mm Macro (at 5x) + 1.4x tele-extender + 25mm extension tube + diffused MT24-EX Twinlite flash. Several images blended in PSE. Cropped.]

I hope to learn if the setae can determine the sex for this species. I need help confirming the sex of these please.

This one appears to be male?

Globular springtail. Natural light. Focus stacked using zerene. Oshiro 60mm

Springtail on a clay pot X4. Xenylla sp.

There are quite a few of these in the garden, congregating under pieces of bark that I've distributed around the place. Frans Janssens suggested that I get some dorsal views to aid identification. This is from a couple of shots blended in PSE.

I think this might be the same species that I uploaded recently. That was either Isotomurus palustris or I. pseudopalustris.

Springtail on glasshouse strut. Focus stacked using zerene. About 2.2mm body length

springtails plus a mite on the compost bin

The first time I have seen this in real!

Crop from Springtails playing king of the hill X4

Tiny little collembola, from 0.5 to 0.8 mm.

Springtail slug riders X4. Focus stacked using zerene

Laowa 2.5-5x ultra macro lens

I only got one very average shot of this specimen before my flash decided to break.

Springtails on a clay pot X4. Sminthurinus domesticus

Katiannidae, (Collembola) size approx 0.8mm only. Love these tiny springtails. can only see them if I get about 30 cm from them. and even at this size, boy can they spring away.

Springtail on the greenhouse roof X2. Focus stacked using zerene

With the change towards cooler and damper weather, I've decided to re-start seeking-out and photographing springtails in our Staffordshire garden. I have a particular liking for globular springtails.

Initially, I've started by laying Laurel leaves on various areas of the lawn. Springtails like to congregate under these. In the morning, I carefully turn the leaves over and attempt to photograph any springtails that are present. Many "spring" away but with perseverance (at a bit of luck), I manage pics of some. I use laurel leaves because they can be manipulated without bending are are just about the right size. I use yellowing ones that have fallen from the plant and position with the underside (not the shiny side) in contact with the grass. The surface provides a nice background for the photographs too.

Here's what I photographed today. A stripey Sminthurinus elegans and two colour-forms of S. aureus. Interestingly, I am only (up to now) seeing the orangey form on one area of the lawn. The others are well distributed. I'm yet to see the "typical" yellow form of S. aureus in the garden this season.

Canon 1D4 + MP-E lens (at x5) + 25mm extension tube + TwinLite flash.

Tiny globular springtail- Sminthurinus niger. on a clay pot with some dewdrops on it's back. About 0.93 mm body length

A shot from a macro safari a springtail