#sminthurinus
A selection of globular springtails found under fallen leaves on our garden lawn this morning. A Dicyrtomina species at the bottom and Sminthurinus aureus (dark form) and S. elegans at the top. #collembola #mesofauna #Staffs #macro #photography
November 7, 2025 at 10:49 AM
Not the clearest photos, but I was very excited to find this Sminthurinus quadrimaculatus in the field!

#springtail #arthropod #sminthurinus #invertebrate #macro #macrophotography #naturephotography #inaturalist #bcparks #okanagan #similkameen #britishcolumbia #canada
October 16, 2025 at 11:18 PM
The globular springtail Sminthurinus aureus (dark form) in the garden this morning. Very small (< 1 mm). #Staffs #collembola #springtail #LeafLitter #mesofauna #macro #photography
September 25, 2025 at 10:48 AM
A moody Sminthurinus aureus f ochropus.
May 13, 2023 at 12:54 PM
Pro tip: Hit leaves with sticks in plastic container

#entomology #collembola #springtails🪲
October 26, 2024 at 4:24 PM
Sminthurinus elegans and Sminthurides signatus hiding in a mossy corner of the garden at RSPB Hope Farm today! #Springtails #Collembola
October 24, 2025 at 6:47 PM
Sminthurinus Bimaculatus (Unexpected)

https://www.allforgardening.com/849229/sminthurinus-bimaculatus-unexpected/

An unexpected surprise. A small colony of Bimaculatus. They aren't easy to breed, so this is pretty cool. by ExpertReference2979
May 8, 2024 at 11:21 AM
En una maceta de mi terraza viven estos colémbolos minúsculos. Viene a ser un puntito tan pequeño que si no se está moviendo no lo ves. Pero lo enfocas con la cámara y aparece esta cosa tan cuqui 😍

Tengo claro que es Sminthurinus, pero no sé si bimaculatus...

#colembolo #springtail #Sminthurinus
February 28, 2025 at 9:35 PM
This is Sminthurinus igniceps, a relative but less distinctive. It can be told from dark S. aureus by having a head paler than the body, and from S. domesticus by having mostly orangey antennae.

This species is also synanthropic, but seemingly moving out more into the wider countryside. 🧵4/7
August 24, 2025 at 2:40 PM
I've reached 100 British springtail species! This was helped by a recent glasshouse sampling trip, where I added these 4 species.

3 are now in the pipeline to have reference-quality genomes sequenced for the first time, by the @sangerinstitute.bsky.social. More info in the thread below! 🧵1/7
August 24, 2025 at 2:40 PM
This beautiful species, Sminthurinus bimaculatus, has been the British springtail I've most wanted to see. As with the other 3 spp., it's primarily synanthropic, meaning it's associated with human habitats like this flowerpot. 🧵2/7
August 24, 2025 at 2:40 PM
Uncropped images, mostly Sminthurinus sp. and Sphaeridia pumilis. Images are about 10.5mm across for size reference.
July 24, 2025 at 12:31 AM
Subo estas otras imágenes por si ayudan con la identificación.

#colembolo #springtail #Sminthurinus #fotografiamacro #macrophotography #fotografiadenaturaleza
February 28, 2025 at 9:35 PM
Collembola found under pine in Brede High Woods this morning before rain stopped play. Wondering about Sminthurinus, but hoping someone like @jamesimcc.bsky.social will jump in and help!

#Collembola #HighWeald
February 10, 2025 at 2:26 PM
Another instance of DNA not helping - but finding a way forward with Sminthurinus:
collembolla.blogspot.com/2025/02/anot...
#Collembola #Springtails #DNA #Taxonomy
Another instance of DNA not helping
Five years ago I had a crisis of confidence when Peter Shaw published his paper on DNA analysis of  Lepidocyrtus - see: Big trouble in Lepi...
collembolla.blogspot.com
February 16, 2025 at 11:48 AM
Nearby in the patch of very shallow icy water, a globular springtail (Sminthurinus elegans) eventually crawled onto a millipede. Though to me the scene looks relatively sparse, I can see several other organisms about, including a smooth springtail and a little orange thing.
January 19, 2025 at 11:04 PM
It's also been fun to get some of the first species records up on iNaturalist. Some of these are incredibly abundant, but there's just not many people out there looking for >0.5mm critters. From left to right: Sminthurinus lawrencei, Pygmarrhopalites bellingeri, Arrhopalites diversus
November 12, 2024 at 1:07 AM
A globular springtail - Sminthurinus elegans - under a fallen Beech leaf in the garden this morning. I'm a bit out of practice photographing things this small (~0.5mm) but will improve as the damper weather progresses! #collembola #mesofauna #macro #photography #Staffs
September 9, 2025 at 8:26 AM
Never knew that, mine was a clay plantpot too! Need to start reading more of the descriptions + notes in the Hopkin key, lo and behold...
August 24, 2025 at 2:46 PM
Found these little guys in the garden yesterday, grazing on lichen. Very small (body size approximately 0.6-0.7 mm). I presume they're springtails of the genus Sminthurinus, but I'm out of my depth here. Can anyone confirm? #Springtails #Collembola #lichen ##lichenology
January 3, 2025 at 8:39 AM
Good news! >6000 springtail records have been imported from iRecord and are now available on the NBN Atlas: species.nbnatlas.org/species/NBNS...
Massive thanks to @duerden.bsky.social for his investment in verifying iRecord records.
Keep them coming!
April 21, 2025 at 9:51 AM
And of course they also make such amazing and charismatic photo subjects! Starting from the left: Undescribed Ptenothrix sp., Sminthurinus henshawi, Fungus infected Ptenothrix, Ptenothrix beta
November 12, 2024 at 1:12 AM