Spotted Springtail vs Australian Glow-Worm Firefly

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Spotted Springtail Australian Glow-Worm Firefly
Scientific Name Orchesella cincta Atyphella lychnus
Order Collembola Coleoptera
Family Entomobryidae Lampyridae
Size 3.0-5.0 mm 8-15 mm
Habitat Forests Forests
Diet Detritivores Predators
Regions Europe Oceania
Conservation Not Evaluated Data Deficient

Spotted Springtail

A large banded springtail found in leaf litter and under bark in European forests. It has distinctive dark and yellow banding.

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Did You Know?

This is the first springtail species to have its metallothionein genes fully characterized for pollution biomonitoring.

Australian Glow-Worm Firefly

One of Australia's few true firefly species, found in tropical Queensland rainforests. Females are wingless and glow from the forest floor.

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Did You Know?

Australia has surprisingly few firefly species compared to Southeast Asia, with most confined to the wet tropics of Queensland.