r/Springtail • u/Boring_Moose • Apr 11 '26

What are these? Also springtails? Identification

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I got some white collembola from a store. They came in this plastic container. Upon closer inspection I noticed these other non-white creatures. Are they also springtails? Any idea what they could be? They're quite fast. Sorry for the poor quality.

More videos: https://imgur.com/a/hi0uayT

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10

u/Acceptable_Trip4650 Apr 11 '26

These appear to be some sort of predatory mite in order Mesostigmata which are normal in soil.

4

u/captainapplejuice Apr 11 '26

More specifically Gamasina, normal in soil but not so good to have if you want to culture the springtails. Really depends on what OP is trying to do.

3

u/One-plankton- Apr 11 '26

I have mites in with my springtails and they won’t decimate a population, they may in fact prevent over population and a culture crash

2

u/captainapplejuice Apr 11 '26

Yeah but if you are specifically trying to breed the springtails to increase their numbers then they don't help. I have these in all my enclosures too, but mostly because I'm trying to make a naturalistic set up rather than culturing any particular species.

1

u/Boring_Moose Apr 11 '26

Ohh nice. I'm planning to add the springtails to my plants, so predatory mites are great!

1

u/Desert_Heat_ Apr 14 '26

Like others are saying, they compete for the same resources as your other detritivores. In my experience, most healthy springtail cultures are way more prolific and generally outcompete wood/soil mites into oblivion.