# Springtail selection is very limited??



## Scarecrow (Aug 28, 2017)

Hello everyone! I have noticed that most places where you can purchase springtails only sell certain kinds. The common whites or sometimes the larger black springtails.

I remember when I was younger I had a colony of red springtails. These were wild caught and I'm 100% sure they were not mites. They were not shaped like the usual ones you find sold, but actually were globular instead of sausage shaped. They were also bright red which I thought was pretty darn interesting to see. Sadly my culture died due to my parents deciding to throw out the "disgusting bugs" while I was on holiday with my friend. 

This however made me wonder, why haven't more attractive "exotic" looking springtails taken to the market yet? I'd quite enjoy to see colourful springtails within my terrariums and vivariums. There is all kinds of beautiful colours and shapes. This kind of thing has been explored with isopods but from what I've seen it hasn't even been touched with springtails.


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## cam1941 (Jan 16, 2014)

There is a decent amount of variety out there when it comes to springtails... Maybe not as many varieties as isopods but you can definitely find some interesting ones.


Springtails Archives - Roach Crossing


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## Scarecrow (Aug 28, 2017)

Yeah there is a few, but I'm talking about colourful looking springtails. Bright reds, oranges, yellows etc. There is so many nice looking springtails out there and the hobby seems to only bother with the dull looking ones. It's almost as if nobody has bothered to explore with other possibilities. I find it odd that there is very few people out there that have tried to get their hands on more interesting kinds. They look so much better than the ones being sold currently.


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## Michael Shrom (May 20, 2004)

some of the odd springtails are more difficult to culture. I have about 5 kinds of springtails I culture.


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## Veneer (Nov 13, 2012)

There are tons of beautiful springtails that as far as I know have never made it into the hobby – not sure how well any of the sampling below do in captivity, but they're fun to dream about. 









_Paralobella orousseti_ from the Philippines. Tracking down the reference but I think under 3 mm. Photo 2002 © Deharveng, L. via https://www.collembola.org/taxa/neanurid.htm 









Unidentified orange species from Japan, 2mm. Photo from Natural-Japan.net Â» Collembola

The most fantastic are the fifteen or so species in the subfamily Uchidanurinae, which can reach 10mm(!) and sport fantastic lobes and protrusions. Here's _Caledonimeria mirabilis_, endemic to New Caledonia:










Photo © Cyrille d’Haese via Les Collemboles : acteurs de la vie du sol - Encyclopédie de l'environnement


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## alsofaac (Aug 21, 2013)

Thanks for the photos of such beautiful springtails. Do you know of sources for any of them? Where can you get black ones?


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## Scarecrow (Aug 28, 2017)




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## Andrew Lee (Jan 21, 2014)

Maybe because we prefer function over form. I guess we're satisfied with the job that the springtails we have are already doing so there isn't a need for "exotic" springtails. A lot of times some species are also not very fit for vivariums but I'm sure we'd be open to new species that may be suitable for vivariums and considered "exotic" under your definition.


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## gary1218 (Dec 31, 2005)

Andrew Lee said:


> Maybe because we prefer function over form. I guess we're satisfied with the job that the springtails we have are already doing so there isn't a need for "exotic" springtails. A lot of times some species are also not very fit for vivariums but I'm sure we'd be open to new species that may be suitable for vivariums and considered "exotic" under your definition.


AGREED!

I culture my springs to mainly feed to froglets. And I don't think they care what color they are


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## TokayGenetics (May 24, 2018)

Wow those are beautiful photos.

Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk


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## froggygram (Mar 14, 2018)

Those are quite beautiful!


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## jkdub (Jul 11, 2017)

Springtails are some of the coolest little creatures. The variety seems almost endless. Here in Utah I have found at least 6 different species in my house and backyard. There have even been many that have taken up residence in some of my tanks that I have with no frogs. Unfortunately, I believe that they are very understudied. I'm sure that someone could easily go around and identify new species. My favorite common ones are snow fleas. They are crazy when the snow starts to melt.


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## thumbnail (Sep 18, 2005)

Through the years I have cultured six forms. The common white temperate, tropical whites, tropical blues, jumbo temperate gray/blues, red springtails, and temperate silvers. The last three were collected locally(Ga). The jumbo gray/blue were found in cedar tree fungus(called apple pods I believe). The reds came from a friend greenhouse pond. I thought maybe from the foods he used turned a white species red but even after long periods of just yeast feeding no color change. Mites and the last springtail took them out. The final is the temperate silver they are tough to kill and the backs really look like mirrors on the little guys.


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## Okapi (Oct 12, 2007)

I have never ordered from them, but I did bookmark this site as a possible source for springtail varieties in the future: Springtails Archives - Roach Crossing


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## varanoid (Jan 21, 2011)

For microfauna I like diversity. But I always ask myself "is the climb worth the view"? And so I make an effort to have a variety of stuff rotating on the menu/cleanup crew. But at the end of the day, I stick to what is productive and worth the effort. I could add more to the menu. But just like a restaurant, sometimes a bigger menu is more trouble than it's worth, and may cause more problems than gains.


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## davecalk (Dec 17, 2008)

One of the other advantages of other "colorful" springtails might be the carotene colors that might be helpful for the frogs.


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