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Help with pest ID.

Carnivoregon

IG carnivoregon_official
I found these bugs in a closed cup of ceph leaf pulls. The have a shiny black abdomen and 2 pretty good sized antenna compared to it's body. Small, like mite size, maybe slightly larger. Capable of decent speeds, faster than mites for sure.
0f5fab5549fbdbc8fd8a9379c50078b0.jpg
e60c63714200a82e8ff802e9b8530b24.jpg
f2bf714033881f1968aeb89ab2fc9a28.jpg
 
I'm not 100% sure whether that is a spot on the butt area or reflection from the light.
 
Springtails most likely.

Scroll down toward the bottom of the page:
http://www.collembola.org/

<iframe width="420" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/OwOL-MHcQ1w" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
 
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Thanks for the input. That seems reasonable, they were mostly cruising around in the moss, and I didn't see any damage to the leaf pulls. It sure gets confusing when there are so many different kinds and they all look different. I've had the white/grey springtails, but never these black ones. They were different shaped last time too, more like the segmented ones, where these have more of a small beetle look.
 
I don't know what they are, but I know what they aren't, which is springtails. Body shape is all wrong. Springtails are proportionally longer and thinner, that critter has the shape of a mite, or a very tiny beetle.
 
The could be a mite of some sort. If you touch them with a needle and they jump definitely springtails. A 20x hand magnifying lens would give more than enough for a more positive look.

Springtails come in assorted colors and shapes depending on the family. Colors range from translucent white to blackish with various shades of blue-gray and anything between bright yellow and red. I have some that have a metallic gold/silver color that like my tropical tank. Some are soft bodied looking and others have a harder exoskeleton look to them.

Just some examples of the extremes of body type, shape and color:

Neosminthurus-clavatus-20080126-Joyce-Gross-USA-California-2-l.jpg

Neosminthurus richardsi from the USA
2008.01.26 © Gross, J.
Hypogastrura-sp-20090226-Rick-Cowen-USA-South-Dakota-l.jpg

Hypogastrura sp. from the USA
2009.02.26 © Cowen, R.
Katiannina-macgillivrayi-dorsal-20091126-Scott-Justis-USA-Virginia-l.jpg

Katiannina macgillivrayi from the USA
2009.11.26 © Justis, S.
Neanuridae-20090622-Kris-Light-USA-Washington.jpg

Neanuridae from the USA
2009.06.22 © Light, K.
Isotoma-viridis-20090310-Rick-Cowen-USA-South-Dakota-l.jpg

Isotoma viridis from the USA
2009.03.10 © Cowen, R.
serrat03.jpg

Sphaeridia serrata from the USA
2006 © Maddison, D.R.
Vitronura-giselae-20081127-Scott-Justis-USA-Virginia-l.jpg

Vitronura gisellae from the USA
2008.11.27 © Justis, S.
Lobella-palmeri-20150504-Anderson-J-USA-North-Carolina-l.jpg

Lobella palmeri from the USA
2015.05.04 © Anderson, J.
 
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The Neosminthurus is close, but they're not a fast moving critter. Poking with a needle or toothpick a few times should help with the determination.
 
I couldn't get any to jump. They definitely have 2 white spots on their abdomens though. I was able to get a really good look at one that I got to climb on to my scissors. One white spot on each side in the rear of it's black abdomen.
 
Two spotted spider-mites have light bodies with two dark spots on the side so it may be as SubRosa suspects a beetle. Perhaps our resident entomologist will help.

Stop the presses!
Sminthurinus bimaculatus (Axelson, 1902), Not listed. - Netherlands though
Sminthurinus_bimaculatus001.jpg

Sminthurinus_bimaculatus002.jpg


http://www.janvanduinen.nl/collembolaengels_a.html

Here's another species

Sminthurinus trinotatus
Sminthurinus_trinotatus003.jpg


Looks like a smiley face on the back of the head ???
 
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  • #10
Here is my best profile shot of one. This is from the underside, cause it was crawling on the cup lid.
247a58d942c286c5bb5eaed681eddd20.jpg
 
  • #11
I got it out on to a piece of paper and it ended up jumping. Thanks guys.

Edit: I think you nailed it with those spotted ones.
 
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