Springtail fact sheet | Field of Mars EEC

What are springtails?

Springtails are tiny six-legged invertebrates in the group Collembola. They are arthropods and hexapods, but they are not true insects. Most springtails are only a few millimetres long, so they are easy to miss unless you look closely in damp soil, leaf litter, moss or rotting wood.

Springtails get their common name from the way many species can spring into the air when disturbed. This jump helps them escape predators and quickly disappear into the leaf litter. Some springtails have long narrow bodies, while others are rounded and globular.

A springtail.

A globular springtail on damp leaf litter.

Where do springtails live?

Springtails live in damp places where there is shelter, moisture and decaying organic matter. They are often found in soil, leaf litter, moss, compost, mulch, under bark, around rotting logs and near the edges of creeks or ponds.

At Field of Mars Reserve, springtails are likely to live in leaf litter, damp soil, rotting wood, mossy patches, bark crevices and shaded ground habitats. These places help protect springtails from drying out. After rain, springtails may become easier to see because moist conditions allow them to move around safely.

Springtails live in damp places such as leaf litter.

What do springtails eat?

Most springtails are decomposers. They feed on fungi, bacteria, algae and tiny pieces of decaying plant or animal material. By feeding on these materials, springtails help break down leaf litter and return nutrients to the soil.

Springtails are part of a hidden food web in the soil. They are eaten by spiders, mites, beetles, ants, centipedes and other small predators. Even though they are tiny, they help connect dead leaves, fungi, soil and animals in bushland ecosystems.

Many springtails feed among soil, fungi and decaying plant material.

What is the life cycle of a springtail?

Springtails have a simple life cycle. They hatch from eggs into tiny young springtails. The young look like smaller versions of the adults, rather than larvae or caterpillars. As they grow, they moult by shedding their outer covering.

Springtails do not have a pupa stage. They continue growing through several moults until they become adults. In damp habitats with plenty of food, springtails can build up in large numbers.

Young springtails look like smaller versions of adults.

What adaptations do springtails have to help them survive?

Many springtails have a forked springing organ called a furcula. It is folded under the abdomen and can flick the springtail into the air when disturbed.

This jump is mostly used for escape. Springtails do not carefully steer like a grasshopper or flea. Instead, they suddenly spring away from danger and land in a new spot nearby. This quick movement makes them difficult for predators to catch.

The furcula is a forked organ that helps many springtails jump.

Why are springtails important?

Springtails are important because they help recycle nutrients. By feeding on fungi, bacteria and decaying material, they help break down leaf litter and support healthy soil.

They also provide food for many small predators. A healthy patch of leaf litter can contain many tiny animals, including springtails, mites, ants, beetles, spiders, millipedes and slaters. Together, these invertebrates help keep soil ecosystems active and balanced.

Springtails can gather in large numbers when conditions are damp.

How can you help springtails?

You can help springtails by protecting damp, natural ground habitats. Leave some leaf litter under trees and shrubs, keep fallen logs and bark in garden beds where it is safe to do so, and avoid unnecessary pesticide use. Native plants, mulch, rotting leaves and shaded soil all help create places where springtails and other small invertebrates can survive.

Leaf litter, mulch and rotting wood provide shelter for springtails and other tiny invertebrates.

Related fact sheets

More invertebrate fact sheets

• Invertebrate fact sheets – overview
• Insects fact sheet  – compares springtails with true insects, which also have six legs.
• Common rough slater fact sheet – another small invertebrate found in damp leaf litter.
• Termite fact sheet – decomposers that help recycle dead wood and plant material.
• Earthworms fact sheet – soil animals that help mix and recycle organic matter.
• Millipedes fact sheet – leaf-litter decomposers that live in damp places.

Habitats and ecosystems

• Leaf litter fact sheet – explains the damp habitat where many springtails live.

• Rock and log habitats fact sheet – explains how logs, bark and rocks create cool shelters.

• Eucalypt forest fact sheet – explains the local bushland context.

• Field of Mars Reserve fact sheet – explains the local reserve and habitat diversity.

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