Australian Biological Resources Study

Australian Faunal Directory

Museums

Regional Maps

Family SMINTHURIDIDAE Börner, 1906

Introduction

This family was recognised by Richards' (1968) as a subfamily but is treated here as a family following Betsch (1980), who raised Richards' seven subfamilies to family status. There are 4 genera and 6 species in Australia.

Members of the Sminthurididae are fairly small Collembola and exhibit marked sexual dimorphism; several genera include aquatic species, although none are marine. Generally species have short life histories. For instance, species of Sphaeridia can complete the life cycle from egg to adult in less than a week under suitable conditions.

 

Diagnosis

Characterised by: thorax I reduced and without setae, mandibular plate present, thorax II to abdomen IV more or less fused and globular, abdomen V and VI also fused, postantennal organ absent, antenna III equal to or shorter than antenna IV, males bearing clasping antennae, females lacking anal appendages.

 

Systematics

sensu Betch & Massoud 1970

 

History of changes

Note that this list may be incomplete for dates prior to September 2013.
Published As part of group Action Date Action Type Compiler(s)
28-Jun-2018 COLLEMBOLA Lubbock, 1870 03-May-2018 MODIFIED Dr Alice Wells
28-Feb-2013 28-Feb-2013 MODIFIED
12-Feb-2010 (import)