Tan Spotted Sedge vs Arctic Springtail

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Tan Spotted Sedge Arctic Springtail
Scientific Name Hydropsyche instabilis Megaphorura arctica
Order Trichoptera Collembola
Family Hydropsychidae Onychiuridae
Size 11-15 mm 1-2 mm
Habitat Rivers & Streams Tundra & Arctic
Diet Omnivores Omnivores
Regions Europe Svalbard, Arctic Canada, Greenland, northern Scandinavia
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

Tan Spotted Sedge

A medium-sized caddisfly whose larvae construct net retreats in fast-flowing upland streams. Adults are tan with spotted wings.

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Did You Know?

Larvae aggressively defend their net territories from neighboring caddisflies.

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.