Sminthurinus elegans

Sminthurinus elegans

Description

Small (to 1mm) golden springtail with characteristic pattern of four dark longitudinal bands on the abdomen. 

Identification difficulty
Recording advice

Unless identified by a recognised expert, a photo is required and the specimen should be examined with a microscope. In the comments box, state the key or ID method used and describe the size and identifying characters.

Habitat

Found in leaf litter and low vegetation in almost all terrestrial habitats, preferring drier areas than S. aureus. 

When to see it

All year. 

UK Status

Common and widespread in Britain. 

VC55 Status

Status in Leicestershire and Rutland not known.

Leicestershire & Rutland Map

MAP KEY:

Yellow squares = NBN records (all known data)
Coloured circles = NatureSpot records: 2025+ | 2020-2024 | pre-2020

UK Map

Additional images

No additional images available for this species.

All NatureSpot records