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A predatory mite with a captured springtail. Found in leaf-litter in our Staffordshire garden this morning. A mini-drama in action ...
I had my first proper garden springtail foray of the autumn yesterday. Photographed three different globular springtail species, including this one. This is a focus-stack (but of just two images), to improve DoF.
These are generally described as dark-forms of Sminthurinus aureus. In our garden, this form is very common and the "golden" form quite scarce. The dark forms are also noticeably-larger.
Looks like Brachystomella parvula.
It has 8 ocelli with a large PAO, but the PAO has not the usual red color in this one.
Found in Tenerife, Puerto de la Cruz, near Playa Jardín between leaves on the ground.
A collage with several attempts to focus on the PAO.
It has been a while since I went on a Springtail safari in the back garden. These are from a recent trip to the bins.
All the snow has finally cleared from our Staffordshire garden and I'm able to recommence my regular springtail hunts. I'm pleased to see that this species is still present; having seen two individuals in the last couple of days.
Now; I usually record this on Flickr as Katianna nr schotti. Looking on the listings of the UK Collembola Recording Scheme at Roehampton, this is listed as Katianna schoetti. I'm assuming that these are synonyms for the same species, but not really sure!
All the rain has its benefits.....the fungus is appearing everywhere, This little Springtail was making this jelly its home.
A couple of pictures from todays macro session at Swell Woods. Lots of Globular Springtails to photograph which is always good fun!
This lagoon gets covered with masses and masses of springtails on the water. They are so interesting to look at, but a little awkward to photograph. the scenery shot shows the white "tide lines" on the lagoon. The white is entirely composed of these masses of little critters. Neanuridae?
Another individual similar to the one I posted previously. Again, underneath a fallen beech leaf on the lawn. Looks like a dark form of Sminthurinus aureus.
Canon MP-E65mm Macro (at 5x) + 1.4x tele-extender + 25mm extension tube + diffused MT24-EX Twinlite flash. This individual ~0.75mm.
Another from a series of shots I'm doing for FransJanssens@www.collembola.org to establish the size and differences between the various instars of this Katiannid springtail. Here's a male from our Staffordshire garden today; lateral and frontal views. Rarely do they oblige like this; pausing side-on and then turning face-on!
A Dicyrtomidae species.
I love the little dragonfly print it has on its back. Is that the pale "spring" you can see amongst the legs??
Collembola - hexapod
Didn't notice this little fellow until it started climbing on the wood ear that I was shooting. It is at most 1mm big.
Today a quest for springtails with the tamron 90 mm and kenko extension tubes. The springtails are to find, but hardly to seen. Why they let me wait so long at Canon for the repair of my mp-e 65 mm, for the second time this year. (5th week already now, before it was 6,5 weeks)
I found this little one in wood.
The only globular springtail species that I managed to photograph in our Staffordshire garden this morning.
This is one of the dark forms if Sminthurinus aureus. Like many that I see, this individual has a paler head.
My favourite lens; the Canon MP-E65mm Macro is on my camera most of the time. I use it this time of the year for photographing springtails and other soil meso-fauna. It has been giving the dreaded "error 01" message intermittently and I've decided to finally get it repaired.
Knowing I might be without it for a while, I spent some time in the garden this morning, searching under fallen leaves. I've been seeing quite a few Sminthurinus springtails recently. After a long period finding nothing, I decided to have just one more check. The final leaf I checked had this underneath it. It's one of several "novel" species that have been reported in recent years in the UK. It's designated Katiannidae Genus nov.1 sp. nov.. This looks like an immature individual.
I have found this species in a couple of locations in Staffordshire and neighbouring Shropshire. I once even travelled to Sheffield Botanical Gardens to see my first one. It's great to know that I've actually got it in my garden too. I nice final find before my lens goes away!
Canon MP-E65mm Macro (at 5x) + 1.4x tele-extender + 25mm extension tube + diffused MT24-EX Twinlite flash. This individual ~0.7mm.
A globular springtail in our Staffordshire garden this morning. It has the appearance of one of the dark forms of Sminthurinus aureus, but was MUCH larger than any of the "golden" forms that I've ever seen.
I'm very pleased (well, quite excited really), to have found that I have lots of the aquatic springtail Sminthurides aquaticus active on our newly-created garden wildlife pond. I've been trying to get some decent shots over the last week or so.
These are very small; they range from about 1mm in length or less. I was searching around on some of the floating vegetation and photographed this individual on some duck-weed leaves. As soon as I got the image on my PC, I could see hat there were juvenile forms on the leaf too. Not only that, but there are some unhatched individuals too. The females cut into the leaf surface (as I understand it) and deposit eggs into the cut area. It looks like there are three developing eggs in front of the largest springtail and others (out-of-focus) around on the leaf surface..
It's been cool, damp and not too breezy in the garden recently, so I've turned my attention back to springtail hunting. Here's a selection of Sminthurinus (I'm assuming) species that I've photographed over the past two weeks.
Was pleased to see S. trinotatus (bottom row, second left); only the third time I've seen it here over the last ten years.
Sometimes called Snow fleas, they are approx 1/6" or 2-3mm in size and are rather difficult to photograph well with standard gear. They live in the soil and decaying matter, they also seek cover under Mushroom caps.
I was out looking for Katiannid springtails for my garden survey when this Dicyrtomina saundersi wandered into view. I've been neglecting these recently, so took the opportunity for a few shots.
This one has just adopted the first stage pre-spring position. She did it several times, but didn't complete the manoeuvre. I think it's a female because of the pale "cheek" immediately below the eye. This area is often pigmented in mature males.
A ruler in cm photographed with tamron 90 mm and kenko extension tubes, the springtails photographed on the same way and then the 2 pictures merged (only the measurement lines). So you can see the dimensions. A special for Frans Janssens :o)
Recently, I was tidying-up some Cordyline leaves that had dropped onto the lawn. I checked (as you do) to see if there were any springtails on the underside. There were several dark forms of the globular springtail Sminthurinus aureus (as in the picture) so I cut one of the leaves into into pieces around 10 cm long and placed them on the lawn in a spot convenient for photography.
Anyway, today I checked them and there were several candidates for photography. I'm somewhat out of practice, but managed to get some shots that were in focus! Of the globular springtails I saw (about 10), all were this Sminthurinus dark form.
Ceratiomyxa fruticulosa
Heybrook Ridge Trail
crop of one of a photo focus stack
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qu01EUeE5PM
improved ( 150000 frames/second) www.youtube.com/watch?v=HL5tLTkxuOI
kids.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/frym.2020.545370
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Springtail - Most species have an abdominal, tail-like appendage known as a furcula (or furca). It is located on the fourth abdominal segment of collembolans and is folded beneath the body, held under tension by a small structure called the retinaculum (or tenaculum). When released, it snaps against the substrate, flinging the springtail into the air and allowing for rapid evasion and travel. All of this takes place in as little as 18 milliseconds.[12][11]
lichen photos arranged by genus - www.flickr.com/photos/29750062@N06/collections/7215762439...
my photos arranged by subject - www.flickr.com/photos/29750062@N06/collections