# Springtails, temporate or tropical?



## dragonfrog (Feb 16, 2006)

I am sure this question may have been answered before, but after doing a search there were over 2000 hits. Too many to fish through. So I am going to ask the question anyway.

What is the difference between the two and which species comprises which?


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## Dancing frogs (Feb 20, 2004)

Supposedly, the tropical ones are supposed to live and reproduce better in our tanks than the more common temparate variety.

Many people have noticed that the tropicals like it much drier than the temparates.

An observation on the two:
I usually seed my froglet raise up tubs with both varieties, as well as dwarf white woodlice.
This spring, I took a couple of recently vacated tubs, and put them in the windowsill.
They now have booming springtail populations, and surprizingly enough the ones that are thriving in there appear to be the temparate variety. I would have thought it would be the other way around, given the temps in the tubs probably got pretty hot, being in a sunny windowsill.


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## dragonfrog (Feb 16, 2006)

Is there any visual way to tell the difference?


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## Dancing frogs (Feb 20, 2004)

The white tropicals look more plump.
Temparates are usually long and thin, and if you watch, sometimes you can see them bend in the middle as they crawl around.


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## EDs Fly Meat (Apr 29, 2004)

> The white tropicals look more plump.
> Temparates are usually long and thin, and if you watch, sometimes you can see them bend in the middle as they crawl around.


Exactly.

It's a preferance thing. Some people swear by tropicals, others temperates. I use both. Temperates are smaller, preferring a wetter, cooler, substrate. Tropicals like it hotter and moist, barely dry. Both feed well on bakers yeast.


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## Roadrunner (Mar 6, 2004)

This category is too general. I can`t even tell which tropical or which temperate you are talking about. there are at least 2 types of white tropical in the hobby. there are at least 3 types of white temperate. then there are the small and large black temperate, the blue, pink, silver and purple, of which I know the silver or grey are temperate. the hairy entomobrya which are slow producers. The silver(grey) and the purple and the temperate white are all good for seeding since they are mid leaf litter dwellers. they can breed enough under the surface and live there and only get picked off when they head to the surface. The tropical white that doesnt look worm like is good for culturing and feeding out like ff`s since their production is so hi and the sizes range and they generally stay on the surface of the leaf litter. They don`t breed well in the tanks though.
The tropical white seem to like it drier than the temperate for culturing purpose. My tanks are too wet and humid for the tropicals to produce much. 
These are all observations under my conditions here. they will vary esp. if your confusing what type you have.


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## dragonfrog (Feb 16, 2006)

Thanks for all the input people, great info.



> This category is too general. I can`t even tell which tropical or which temperate you are talking about. there are at least 2 types of white tropical in the hobby. there are at least 3 types of white temperate.


Aaron, do you know the names of these types?


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## Roadrunner (Mar 6, 2004)

No, I sent a bunch along w/ isos to darek radar and never got anywhere. I haven`t enough time to make it to the local university. I just have them labeled burt dam white, bjtrop white. sbreland white, pink and blue, local silver, local black, local blue, local purple etc.


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## EDs Fly Meat (Apr 29, 2004)

And that's probably a good way to do it Aaron. There are literally thousands of documented species globally. I would like another crack at your black variety.


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## Roadrunner (Mar 6, 2004)

Your right Dave. From what I have been able to gather they don`t even have all the types around here documented. I did see randy seiler at hamburg w/ the long white type literally swimming in a decomposing mushroom. Gave me an idea for possible other feeds for the black type from around here. I`m gonna try em again soon when I get the floor finished and shelves built. I should have enough space to set up a secong bug incubator then. If I get them going I could send more out this year but spring is definately the hi point for them. I see more of the "solitary" Entomobrya around during the heat of summer. Still gotta crack them too.
oh, to finish up:
top leaf litter dwellers like bj`s tropical seem to be better culture food. mid to lower leaf litter dwellers seem to breed between the leafs and can be "bred" better in the tanks and kept up in #`s.
same w/ isos. Dwarf white can repopulate in a tinc tank while the dwarf striped seem to be above ground wandering and adults are too small so they can be depleted from the system by getting eaten by tincs, epis and phyllos. They do do well in thumb tanks and pumilio though because the adults are too big for the small frogs to eat.


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## gary1218 (Dec 31, 2005)

All quite confusing. Which is why I'm glad I have Aaron just down the road from me. I just stop by Aaron's place and tell him to just GIVE ME WHAT I NEED


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