Southeast Asian Cave Springtail vs Arctic Springtail

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Southeast Asian Cave Springtail Arctic Springtail
Scientific Name Coecobrya tenebricosa Megaphorura arctica
Order Collembola Collembola
Family Entomobryidae Onychiuridae
Size 1-2 mm 1-2 mm
Habitat Caves Tundra & Arctic
Diet Fungus Feeders Omnivores
Regions Southeast Asia Svalbard, Arctic Canada, Greenland, northern Scandinavia
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

Southeast Asian Cave Springtail

A widely distributed cave springtail found throughout Southeast Asian caves. It is completely white and eyeless.

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Did You Know?

The genus Coecobrya contains over 70 species, nearly all from caves.

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.