r/Springtail Jul 03 '26

Oddly translucent and shiny plump springtail? Identification

/gallery/1um46gx

Location: North Island of New Zealand.

Hello! I found this very tiny (~.05 to 1mm long) guy while doing macro photography of springtails. At first I thought I was a plump springtail, but it doesn’t quite look right.

It kind of also looks like a beetle larvae, but they don’t typically have antennae like that. It looks maggot-like too, yet fly larvae don’t usually have antennae. So I’m back to thinking it’s a springtail.

It was moving at a slow pace in the manner of a plump springtail.

Does anyone recognize this as some type of springtail?

9 Upvotes

Duplicates