# Some other bug piggybacking on my springtails...



## Moltar (Mar 16, 2009)

Hey folks. So I bought a container of springtails from a friend a couple weeks back. It's a 1 pint tub with activated charcoal pellets in it and the springtails hopping and breeding around in there.

Yesterday I noticed some other bug crawling around in there. I'm pretty sure it's an insect, so they're not mites. They're about the size of the springtails, light brown in color, 6 legs w/ antennae, slow moving and do not jump like springtails do. Sorry but they're way to small to get a decent picture of. Also, they like to crawl around on the mushroom i put in there, apparently staying off the rather wet substrate.

Any ideas? Thanks.


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## skips (Mar 16, 2009)

etown_411 said:


> Hey folks. So I bought a container of springtails from a friend a couple weeks back. It's a 1 pint tub with activated charcoal pellets in it and the springtails hopping and breeding around in there.
> 
> Yesterday I noticed some other bug crawling around in there. I'm pretty sure it's an insect, so they're not mites. They're about the size of the springtails, light brown in color, 6 legs w/ antennae, slow moving and do not jump like springtails do. Sorry but they're way to small to get a decent picture of. Also, they like to crawl around on the mushroom i put in there, apparently staying off the rather wet substrate.
> 
> Any ideas? Thanks.


I'm sorry, I think you might find that a very hard question to answer without anyone being able to see them.


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## Moltar (Mar 16, 2009)

skips said:


> I'm sorry, I think you might find that a very hard question to answer without anyone being able to see them.


I understand this. I'm looking for similar experiences or someone that's familiar with the general situation rather than a species id. I realize now, rereading the post that I didn't ask a question at all.

Moisture loving tiny insects living apparently in harmony with a springtail culture. Surely somebody has heard of such a thing. I'm just trying to decide if I should cull the springtails or not, they've already been quarantined.


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## dtknow (Mar 16, 2009)

booklice? Sure its not another sp. of springtail?


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## Elytra and Antenna (Mar 16, 2009)

Color and movement sounds very much like the common free-living brown mites. Are you certain those from appendages are antennae?


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## GiantVinegaroon (Mar 16, 2009)

I'm going to guess it's another type of springtail.  but we need pics from a microscope to know


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## skips (Mar 16, 2009)

etown_411 said:


> I understand this. I'm looking for similar experiences or someone that's familiar with the general situation rather than a species id. I realize now, rereading the post that I didn't ask a question at all.
> 
> Moisture loving tiny insects living apparently in harmony with a springtail culture. Surely somebody has heard of such a thing. I'm just trying to decide if I should cull the springtails or not, they've already been quarantined.


Well, i've seen things that were white and more like very tiny millipedes piggy back springtails, but not like you described.  I doubt it's harmful whatever it is, especially if they've survived with no host for that long.  I don't know if that's what you're worried about.  That's just a feeling though


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## Moltar (Mar 17, 2009)

Elytra and Antenna said:


> Color and movement sounds very much like the common free-living brown mites. Are you certain those from appendages are antennae?



They wave around in the air like antennae and i'm pretty sure I only saw six legs. I suppose they could have come in on the slice of mushroom I put in there.

I think skip makes a good point about them surviving without a host for weeks. Probably they're some other sort of detritivore and harmless.

Maybe i'll put them in one spider tank and observe carefully for a while.


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## auroborus (Mar 17, 2009)

do you have any access to a microscope or even a series of magnifying glasses? cause then u could give a better description, like are they long and skinny or fat and round, also do they have anything coming off the abdomen like with earwigs. could be proturans or diplurons. or other stuff i cant remember from class


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## Moltar (Mar 17, 2009)

They're more round bodied than a springtail. Their shape is kind of like that of a tick, sort of a teardrop shape with the head at the point. Nothing is coming off the abdomen, it's just round, they're shorter and fatter than springtails but overall roughly the same body size.


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## GiantVinegaroon (Mar 18, 2009)

etown_411 said:


> They're more round bodied than a springtail. Their shape is kind of like that of a tick, sort of a teardrop shape with the head at the point. Nothing is coming off the abdomen, it's just round, they're shorter and fatter than springtails but overall roughly the same body size.


There are three morphologies of springtails: long and thin, pillsbury doughboy, and globular

Here's a pic. the bottom left is long and slender.  The bottom right is globular.  The top one is pillsbury doughboy.







You could very well just have another species of springtail.  Hope this helps!


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## Elytra and Antenna (Mar 18, 2009)

etown_411 said:


> They're more round bodied than a springtail. Their shape is kind of like that of a tick, sort of a teardrop shape with the head at the point. Nothing is coming off the abdomen, it's just round, they're shorter and fatter than springtails but overall roughly the same body size.


 Sounds like the harmless brown mites (these don't have a hypopus stage). If they're springtails they'll jump when disturbed.


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## Moltar (Mar 19, 2009)

Thanks all for your replies. Whatever they are they seem harmless and they're not arachnids. It's possible they're a globular species of springtail or some other tiny insect, they don't jump though. I'm going to introduce some to one tank and observe from there. I'm figuring at this point that they're safe.


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## GiantVinegaroon (Mar 19, 2009)

etown_411 said:


> Thanks all for your replies. Whatever they are they seem harmless and they're not arachnids. It's possible they're a globular species of springtail or some other tiny insect, they don't jump though. I'm going to introduce some to one tank and observe from there. I'm figuring at this point that they're safe.


Well in my experiences with springtails I've only been able to get them to jump a handful of times.  Usually they just run.


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