Podura aquatica

Podura aquatica
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Subphylum: Hexapoda
Class: Entognatha
Order: Collembola
Family: Poduridae
Genus: Podura
Species: P. aquatica
Binomial name
Podura aquatica
Linnaeus, 1758

The water springtail (Podura aquatica) is a species of springtail, one of only four described species in the family Poduridae. It is an abundant species with a Holarctic distribution.

As its common and scientific names suggest, this is an exclusively aquatic species, living its whole life as a scavenger on the surface of all kinds of still water. It is a squat species up to 1.5 mm in length, usually bluish grey but sometimes almost black. The furcula is large and flattened, allowing the animal to jump without breaking the surface tension of the water.

References

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