Date First Recorded in the Garden: 26/08/2023
Family Entomobryidae: The Slender Springtails
A good size family of springtails with approximately 1700 species worldwide and a good number are found in Great Britain. They tend to be large springtails, and are the prey for many other species such as ground beetles and crab spiders.
Entomobrya intermedia:
We are reasonably sure we have this species identified correctly, the abdomen has a distinctive ‘U’ shaped mark with the corners cut out, as shown below:
Although these are relatively large springtails, they are still very easily overlooked.
In the Garden
These guys feed on living and dead vegetation, so have ample food sources in most gardens, certainly plenty of variety in ours. Almost certainly a permanent resident of the garden.
Wildlife Garden 