Orchesella cincta
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Orchesella cincta | |
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Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Collembola |
| Order: | Entomobryomorpha |
| Family: | Entomobryidae |
| Genus: | Orchesella |
| Species: | O. cincta |
| Binomial name | |
| Orchesella cincta | |
Orchesella cincta is a species of springtail present in North America and Europe. They average 4 millimetres (0.16 in) in length, which is extremely large as most springtails don’t grow past 1 millimetre. The specific name cincta means "belted" and refers to the distinctive colouration of the third abdominal segment.[2]
Springtails are small, wingless relatives of insects and typically have six abdominal segments, a tubular appendage projecting ventrally from the first abdominal segment, and a forked, tail-like appendage, the furcula, folded under the last abdominal segment, with which the animal can flip itself into the air.[3]
Members of the genus Orchesella have six antennal segments. Orchesella cincta reaches about 4 mm (0.16 in) in length and has a distinctively pigmented third abdominal segment and a dark third antennal segment. In contrast, the posterior part of the second abdominal segment and the distal part of the second antennal segments are white. The fifth and sixth antennal segments are brown, but otherwise the colouring of antennae and abdomen are variable, ranging from reddish-brown through various shades of brown to blackish. The body is thickly clad with hairs.[4] There is a tendency for the antennae to be of unequal length, perhaps because of damage to the antennae during the developmental stages.[2]
