Temperate White Springtail
Folsomia candida
No venom, no sting
This species is considered harmless to humans, with no medically significant venom or sting. Handle gently and wash your hands afterward.
About
Not an isopod and not an insect — springtails are hexapods in their own group, named for the furcula, a tail-like appendage they release to flick themselves into the air. The standard bioactive clean-up organism and about the simplest living thing in the hobby to culture: a lidded tub of horticultural charcoal sitting in water, or permanently wet coco fiber, fed a few grains of uncooked rice or a pinch of brewer's yeast. PARTHENOGENETIC, so a culture rebuilds itself from a handful of animals. Unlike almost everything else in this catalog they want it wet, not merely damp. Population is counted by eye at best — record any headcount as an estimate. DETRITIVORE and fungivore; harmless to animals and to people.
Taxonomy
Size & growth
Climate
Enclosure
Feeding
Times kept: 0 · Unverified community entry