Introduction
Springtails have the widest distribution of any hexapod group, occuring throughout the world, including Antarctica. They are probably the most abundant hexapods on Earth, with up to 250,000,000 individuals per square acre. They are found in soil, leaf litter, logs, dung, cave, shorelines, etc. There are about 6000 known species.
Devonian-Recent. Oldest fossil is of Rhyniella praecursor Hirst and Maulik from the Middle Devonian of Scotland.
The name "Collembola" is derived from "Colle" = glue and "embolon" = piston or peg. This refers to the belief that the ventral tube has adhesive properties, that is, that it is a "glue-peg". However, the tube's function is primarily for excretion and maintaining water balance.
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Allysson Allan Farias commented on an older version of "Introduction":
Show the link to the Bellinger et al. page. the last articles about collembola and all expertises around the world is found here: http://collembola.org
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Allysson Allan Farias commented on an older version of "Introduction":
The Collembola fauna function lead us to formation of soil (nutrient cicling) and to feeding habit on litter, clay, fungi, bacteria, and other taxa, even the same taxa, sometimes cited as pantophagous because of this. A very abundant group of soil hexapods, both in terms of species and numbers. Densities range from about 100 to 670,000 individuals/m2 as many as 60 different species may coexist within a few hectares (Petersen and Luxton, 1982). Petersen, H., Luxton, M., 1982. A comparative analysis of soil fauna populations and their role in decomposition processes. Oikos 39, 288-388. Springtails have been found in everywhere on earth were there is soil and are active under most environmental conditions – unlike nematodes, bacteria or earthworms (Filser, 2002). Filser, J., 2002. The role of Collembola in carbon and nitrogen cycling in soil. Pedobiologia 46, 234-245.
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Source: David R. Maddison
