# Dicyrtomina

Dicyrtomina are tiny, fascinating creatures that can often be found in leaf litter. They play an important role in breaking down organic matter and enriching the soil!

- **Category:** [Invertebrate](https://www.snappit.app/explore/categories/invertebrate)
- **Rarity:** Common
- **Danger:** 0/5 · No known danger
- **Habitat:** Leaf litter, soil, and moist environments.
- **Also known as:** Collembola, soil springtail

![Dicyrtomina](https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=Special:Redirect/file/Dicyrtomina.ornata.-.lindsey.jpg&width=800)

Photo: James K. Lindsey, CC BY-SA 3.0 · [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Dicyrtomina.ornata.-.lindsey.jpg)

## Appearance

The Dicyrtomina has a distinctive globe-shaped body, often brightly colored in shades of green, yellow, or blue. Its long, segmented antennae and prominent dark eyespots stand out against its smooth, shiny exoskeleton, making it look like a tiny, living jewel.

## Taxonomy

- **Kingdom:** Animalia
- **Phylum:** Arthropoda
- **Class:** Collembola
- **Order:** Symphypleona
- **Family:** Dicyrtomida
- **Genus:** Dicyrtomina

## Interesting facts

- Dicyrtomina are not insects, even though they have six legs; they belong to their own special group called Collembola!
- Some Dicyrtomina can change their color depending on what they've eaten or where they live!
- These tiny critters can sometimes gather in huge swarms, making a living carpet of jumping dots!
- They breathe through their skin and don't have lungs, absorbing oxygen directly from the damp air!

## Special abilities

- **Spring-Loaded Leap:** Dicyrtomina can launch itself high into the air because of a special tail-like 'furcula' that helps them escape danger instantly.
- **Tiny Explorer:** Dicyrtomina has a very small, flexible body that helps them squeeze into tiny cracks and hidden spaces to find food and shelter.
- **Water Wanderer:** Dicyrtomina can walk on water thanks to its water-repellent body and tiny hairs, helping them avoid drowning in puddles.

## Measurements & details

- **Length:** 4 mm
- **Length:** 2 mm
- **Lifespan:** 180 days

## Diet & Feeding

These tiny decomposers snack on decaying plants, fungi, and microscopic bits in the soil!

- **Primary Foods:** decaying plant matter, fungi, algae, microbes
- **Foraging Method:** Foraging

## Ecological connections

- **Eaten by:** Wolf Spider (*Pardosa amentata*) — a quick and common meal for many small spiders
- **Eaten by:** [Devil's Coach Horse Beetle](https://www.snappit.app/explore/devils-coach-horse-beetle) (*Staphylinus olens*) — preyed upon by these predatory beetles and their larvae
- **Depends on:** [White Oak](https://www.snappit.app/explore/white-oak) (*Quercus alba*) — feasts on decaying leaves and fungi found on them
- **Eats:** Monk's Hood Lichen (*Hypogymnia physodes*) — grazes on fungal threads and algae from lichens

## Traits

- [Social](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/social): Social animals live in organized groups, cooperating for survival benefits such as foraging, defense, and raising offspring.
- [Burrowing](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/burrowing): Burrowing animals dig tunnels and chambers in the ground, using these subterranean structures for shelter, hunting, or breeding.
- [Colorful](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/colorful): Colorful describes organisms or objects displaying a wide range of bright and distinct colors.
- [Decomposer](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/decomposer): Describes organisms that break down dead organic material, recycling nutrients back into the ecosystem.
- [Nocturnal](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/nocturnal): Nocturnal animals are primarily active during the nighttime hours, typically resting or sleeping during the day.

## Collections

- [Invertebrates](https://www.snappit.app/explore/collections/invertebrates)

## Safety

**Danger:** 0/5 · No known danger

No special safety notes yet.

## Frequently Asked Questions

### How to identify Dicyrtomina?

Compare body symmetry, shells, segments, legs, tentacles and how the animal moves. Invertebrates span many unrelated groups, so start with body structure. Invertebrate Identifier: upload a photo and compare the visible details.

### How long is Dicyrtomina?

4 mm

### How long does Dicyrtomina live?

180 days

### What does Dicyrtomina eat?

These tiny decomposers snack on decaying plants, fungi, and microscopic bits in the soil!

### Where is Dicyrtomina usually found?

Leaf litter, soil, and moist environments.

### How does Dicyrtomina hunt?

Foraging

## Where to spot

- [Burgundy Park](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/burgundy-park) — Virginia, US · Park

## More Invertebrate

- [Coral](https://www.snappit.app/explore/coral)
- [Crab Spider](https://www.snappit.app/explore/crab-spider) (*Mecaphesa asperata*)
- [Garden Spider](https://www.snappit.app/explore/garden-spider) (*Araneus diadematus*)
- [Brown Recluse Spider](https://www.snappit.app/explore/brown-recluse-spider) (*Loxosceles reclusa*)

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Source: [Dicyrtomina: Facts & Places to See — Snappit](https://www.snappit.app/explore/dicyrtomina)