New Species of Springtails:
Scientists recently discovered two new species of tiny soil-dwelling creatures called springtails named Folsomia ciega and Folsomia unioculata in the Nilgiri Hills of the Western Ghats, taking the number of known species of the genus Folsomia in India to 13.
- Folsomia ciega and Folsomia unioculata are two new species of tiny soil-dwelling creatures called springtails.
- They were discovered in the Nilgiri Hills of the Western Ghats.
- Both species belong to the genus Folsomia.
- Folsomia ciega, named after the Spanish word for ‘blind’, lacks eyes entirely.
- It is a small, pale, and elongated springtail and is distinguished by the arrangement of bristles and a two-pronged tail structure called a mucro.
- Folsomia unioculata, meaning ‘one-eyed’ in Latin, has a single eye on each side of its head.
- It differs from related species that either have multiple eyes or are completely blind.
- Springtails are tiny insect-like creatures.
- They are one of the world’s tiniest arthropods.
- They lack wings, and the body is divided into three parts: head (with short antennae), thorax, and abdomen.
- They are creamy white or grey in colour, with some having yellow, orange, metallic green, or red scales.
- Their skin has comb-like hexagonal or rhombic granules that are water repellent and self-cleaning.
