Ponerinecat
Arachnobaron
- Joined
- Apr 3, 2020
- Messages
- 335
So last year I started keeping springtails, alongside their other detritivore peers. Success was low except among a few select species, which introduced me to just how challenging some springtails can be. Particularly, globular springtails. I've wanted to keep these for 2 years now, and with large populations under wood in winter I thought I'd give it a try. None of the species collected lasted more than a week. The poduromorphs collected fared just as poorly, with the notable exception of Neanura muscorum(not very surprising considering how widespread this tramp is.) Entomobryomophs were the easiest to raise, and I got considerable success with Entomobrya unostrigata until the population collapsed in the summer. Despite being the "easiest" group, many species like the wild Isotoma sp, Entomobrya atrocincta, undescribed Siera sp, and Tomocerus sp did poorly. After noticing that the springtails in my other animal enclosures actually did better than the ones in their own isolated cultures (the most notable example being a small blue Lepidocyrtus sp, there were thousands with all my other invertebrates) I decided to mix all my compatible springtails when I got the chance. It's cooling down now, and some of the local springtails are surfacing, so I thought I'd give this a try. Using a 13" by 7" container, I filled roughly 5/6 of it with a layer of plaster and the other empty portion with soil. This was dotted with assorted dead mosses, grass cuttings, wood pieces, and bits of leaves. So far it's looking good and I'm not seeing any obvious decline in any of the current species. So far I have cyphoderidae sp, Entomobrya unostrigata, Entomobrya atrocincta, Lepidocyrtus sp, undescribed Siera sp, hypogastruridae sp, onychiuridae sp, Neanura muscorum, and 2-3 more collembolans I haven't bothered identifying yet. Also included are symphylans and diplurans as well as oribatid mites and 2-3 other mite species which I also havent identified yet. I'll add more as they begin to apear and will likely make 1-2 more boxes with different layouts for different habitats. For example species that live in decaying wood or entirely subterranean conditions will mostly need different setups.
Only glob I've seen this year, not bothering with these yet.
Oribatid mite. These are common under rocks and logs.
Entomobrya atrocincta. A gorgeous sexually dimorphic species. Males are orange, females striped.
Tiny pink hypogastrurid springtails. Never had much luck with these despite being very common.
A cyphoderid springtail next to a small symphylan. Symphylans get pretty big for soil fauna.
A trio of diplurans. Two are missing cerci from rough collection.
Stunning red and white mites. Very fast runners, these are normally found under wood so I'm not certain how well they'll do in here. I have seen them occasionally under rocks though so might as well try it until I start a wood bin.
Only glob I've seen this year, not bothering with these yet.
Oribatid mite. These are common under rocks and logs.
Entomobrya atrocincta. A gorgeous sexually dimorphic species. Males are orange, females striped.
Tiny pink hypogastrurid springtails. Never had much luck with these despite being very common.
A cyphoderid springtail next to a small symphylan. Symphylans get pretty big for soil fauna.
A trio of diplurans. Two are missing cerci from rough collection.
Stunning red and white mites. Very fast runners, these are normally found under wood so I'm not certain how well they'll do in here. I have seen them occasionally under rocks though so might as well try it until I start a wood bin.
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