Ruud Kleinpaste: Collembola

Most people have probably never heard of “Collembola”, but I reckon they are the most important critter on the planet as their “job” is often simply recycling. 

Your garden wouldn’t stand a chance without them, and nor does our planet. The circular economy starts with Collembola and ends with “Zero Waste”. 

A large number feed on bacteria, fungi, and rotting plant materials; some go for living plants (and can be a pest on some crops). Others devour algae and some even prey on insects. 

Collembola are no longer considered to be “insects” although they still belong to the group of “hexapods” (six-legged creatures). 

Oh, by the way, the name of this group (Collembola) comes from two features: “Colla” which means glue, and “embolon” which is a “peg”, or a “piston” (referring to a structure on the underside of the body). 

At last count there are some 6000 species on our planet, but what do we know? There could be as many as 40,000 taxa! 

If you climb a tree in New Zealand, you are like to find them near the top where branches emerge from the main trunk, it’s usually full of decaying old plant materials; great habitat for our Collembola! 

When examining the contents of your compost bin it quickly becomes clear they are the most numerous invertebrates. 

Collembola working on a juicy stalk of rhubarb 

You may think they are quite boring in their appearance, and indeed a lot of them are tiny (a few millimetres in size) and just one low-key colour. But some are quite attractive: Holacantella is endemic to New Zealand and is often on dead timber and bark, especially in wet conditions. 

And look at that weird body armour – or are they different species? 

For some reason our Collembola love living in moist (and warm) environments. But then again, some species are restricted to cooler climates (think Antarctica! Minus 60 degrees is just not too cold for them). 

The craziest thing you can see at this time of the year is a rather elegant deep blue species that seems to enjoy a spot of “rafting” or “drifting” in slow-moving water courses. Every year I see them, here on the Port Hills of Canterbury. After all these years I have not been able to identify these species with certainty. 

They swim in puddles, and jump around in sheep troughs.  

Those pistons (or “pegs”) I described from the word ‘embolon’ are literally the tools that make the jumping (and dispersal) possible, even in water. 

No wonder that their common name in horticulture, agriculture and garden nomenclature is... SPRING TAILS   

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