BULLETIN 



OF THE 



BROOKLYN ENTOMOLOGICAL SOCIETY 

 Vol. X December, 1915 No. 5 



DIRECTIONS FOR COLLECTING COLLEMBOLA. 



By J. W. FoLSOM, Urbana, 111. 



Collembola, otherwise known as " springtails," are common in 

 all climates, and may be expected to occur wherever there is a 

 soil that supports vegetation. They are small insects, usually 

 one or two millimeters in length and seldom longer than four or 

 five millimeters. In form they are either elongate (Fig. i) or 

 globular (Fig. 2). Most of them are able to leap, when dis- 

 turbed, by means of a peculiar forked appendage known as the 

 furcula ; but not a few species lack the f urcula, and these sluggish 

 forms might at first sight be mistaken for larvae of some sort. 



Collembola are most abundant in damp situations. There are 

 some species, provided with scales, that may be found in dry 

 places, but most species require an atmosphere that contains con- 

 siderable moisture. Springtails may be looked for in any soil 

 that is not too dry, and are usually numerous in grass lands and 

 cultivated fields. They are common under sticks or stones on 

 damp soil. Many species occur in woodlands in the humus, 

 beneath decaying leaves, under or within damp logs, under loose 

 bark, on trunks of trees and on low vegetation. Many species 

 inhabit moss and fungi. Some species frequent ants' nests in 

 the ground or in logs. Various forms occur in manure piles and 

 in decaying vegetables. Many kinds are found on pools of water 

 and along the shores of streams or ponds. Some species get into 

 wells. Not a few species occur on the seashore, under stones, 

 driftwood or seaweed, on dead mollusks or fishes, or on tide 

 pools. Many kinds of Collembola occur in caves, certain species 

 having no other habitat. Collembola are usually abundant in 



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