Easter Island Cave Springtail vs Arctic Springtail

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Easter Island Cave Springtail Arctic Springtail
Scientific Name Pseudosinella hahoteana Megaphorura arctica
Order Collembola Collembola
Family Entomobryidae Onychiuridae
Size 1-1.5 mm 1-2 mm
Habitat Caves Tundra & Arctic
Diet Omnivores Omnivores
Regions Chile Svalbard, Arctic Canada, Greenland, northern Scandinavia
Conservation Vulnerable Least Concern

Easter Island Cave Springtail

A cave-adapted springtail endemic to lava tubes on Easter Island (Rapa Nui). It is one of very few invertebrates endemic to the island's caves.

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Did You Know?

It is one of the most isolated cave springtails on Earth.

Arctic Springtail

A white, eyeless springtail that lives in soil and under stones in the High Arctic. It lacks a furcula and cannot jump. It survives extreme cold through cryoprotective dehydration, losing most of its body water before freezing.

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Did You Know?

This springtail can survive temperatures down to minus 30 degrees Celsius by dehydrating itself until it contains almost no free water.