Venetian Cave Springtail vs Arctic Springtail

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Venetian Cave Springtail Arctic Springtail
Scientific Name Deuteraphorura venetiana Megaphorura arctica
Order Collembola Collembola
Family Onychiuridae Onychiuridae
Size 0.8-1.5 mm 1-2 mm
Habitat Caves Tundra & Arctic
Diet Fungus Feeders Omnivores
Regions Italy Svalbard, Arctic Canada, Greenland, northern Scandinavia
Conservation Data Deficient Least Concern

Venetian Cave Springtail

A blind white springtail recently described from caves in northeastern Italy. It has no eyes and a completely reduced jumping organ.

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Did You Know?

Like many cave springtails, it has lost the ability to jump.

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.