''Orchesella cincta'' is a species of

springtail Springtails (Collembola) form the largest of the three lineages of modern hexapods that are no longer considered insects (the other two are the Protura and Diplura). Although the three orders are sometimes grouped together in a class called Ento ...

present in

North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and the Car ...

and

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...

. They average in length, which is extremely large as most springtails don’t grow past 1 millimetre. The specific name ''cincta'' means "belted" and refers to the distinctive colouration of the third abdominal segment.

Description

Springtails are small, wingless relatives of insects and typically have six abdominal segments, a tubular appendage projecting ventrally from the first abdominal segment, and a forked, tail-like appendage, the

furcula The (Latin for "little fork") or wishbone is a forked bone found in most birds and some species of non-avian dinosaurs, and is formed by the fusion of the two pink clavicles. In birds, its primary function is in the strengthening of the thoracic ...

, folded under the last abdominal segment, with which the animal can flip itself into the air. Members of the genus ''

Orchesella ''Orchesella'' is a genus of springtails belonging to the family Entomobryidae. This genus includes springtails with subdivided basal antennal segments. Species These 96 species belong to the genus ''Orchesella'': * '' Orchesella adriatica'' S ...

'' have six antennal segments. ''Orchesella cincta'' reaches about in length and has a distinctively pigmented third abdominal segment and a dark third antennal segment. In contrast, the posterior part of the second abdominal segment and the distal part of the second antennal segments are white. The fifth and sixth antennal segments are brown, but otherwise the colouring of antennae and abdomen are variable, ranging from reddish-brown through various shades of brown to blackish. The body is thickly clad with hairs. There is a tendency for the antennae to be of unequal length, perhaps because of damage to the antennae during the developmental stages.

Distribution

''Orchesella cincta'' is found in Western Europe and Canada. It is known from Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, France, The Netherlands and the British Isles. It is one of the most common species in the British Isles where it is known from multiple locations in Scotland, England, Wales and Ireland. It is also common on

Saint Helena Saint Helena () is a British overseas territory located in the South Atlantic Ocean. It is a remote volcanic tropical island west of the coast of south-western Africa, and east of Rio de Janeiro in South America. It is one of three constitu ...

in the mid-Atlantic, having presumably been introduced accidentally with plant material. This species lives in soil and among leaf litter in woodland. In the laboratory it can be maintained on twigs covered with green algae.

Ecology

Springtails moult throughout their life and in this species, feeding and reproductive

instar An instar (, from the Latin '' īnstar'', "form", "likeness") is a developmental stage of arthropods, such as insects, between each moult (''ecdysis''), until sexual maturity is reached. Arthropods must shed the exoskeleton in order to grow or ass ...

s alternate. When circumstances are adverse (dry conditions, low temperatures), the reproductive phases can be postponed until conditions improve, at which time the start of reproductive activity is synchronised across the population; this is a successful strategy, the population surge allowing this species to make the most of the available resources. ''Orchesella cincta'' has a high

metabolic rate Metabolism (, from el, μεταβολή ''metabolē'', "change") is the set of life-sustaining chemical reactions in organisms. The three main functions of metabolism are: the conversion of the energy in food to energy available to run cell ...

and a high fertility rate and is more mobile than many species; it is more likely to spread into new habitats such as the foliage of plants and crevices in trees.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q7100224 Collembola Animals described in 1758 Arthropods of Europe Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus