Bourletiella viridescens

Stach, 1920

garden springtail

Bourletiella viridescens is a of globular springtail (order Symphypleona) commonly known as the garden springtail. It was described by Stach in 1920 and has been recorded from Europe, the Azores, and Australia. A 2015 taxonomic revision established that Katianna coeruleocephala, described from Java in 1920 from a single collection, is a junior synonym of this species. The species inhabits moist organic substrates and is associated with decomposing plant material.

Pronunciation

How to pronounce Bourletiella viridescens: /bʊərˌlɛtiˈɛlə vɪˌraɪdəˈsɛnz/

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Identification

As a member of the order Symphypleona, Bourletiella viridescens has a globular body form distinct from the elongated shape of Entomobryomorpha and Poduromorpha springtails. Specific diagnostic features for this are not documented in available sources. Identification to species level likely requires examination of chaetotaxy, structure, and other microscopic characters typical of Bourletiellidae.

Habitat

Has been collected from rotten leaves in live orchards and cold, damp litter. The original specimen of the synonym Katianna coeruleocephala was collected from decomposing plant material in a live orchard in Java.

Distribution

Europe; Azores (São Jorge, São Miguel, Terceira); Central Australia. The synonym Katianna coeruleocephala was described from Poespo, Java, Indonesia, but has not been recollected since 1896.

Similar Taxa

Other Bourletiella speciesMembers of the Bourletiella share the globular body form and -level characteristics; -level separation requires detailed morphological examination.
Other Symphypleona springtailsGlobular body shape distinguishes Symphypleona from other orders, but and identification requires specialized knowledge of mouthpart and appendage structure.

More Details

Taxonomic history

The Katianna coeruleocephala was described by Handschin in 1920 from a single collection in Java and remained unrecollected for over a century. In 2015, it was formally synonymized with Bourletiella viridescens, demonstrating the wide geographic distribution of this species and resolving a long-standing taxonomic question.

Collection rarity

Despite being described over a century ago, B. viridescens appears to be infrequently encountered in modern collections, with only two observations recorded on iNaturalist as of the knowledge cutoff.