Non-insect
Guides
Hypogastrura nivicola
snow flea, dark blue springtail
Hypogastrura nivicola is a small, dark blue springtail commonly known as the snow flea in North America. Despite its common name, it is unrelated to true fleas and belongs to the ancient group Collembola, which predates the first vertebrates on land by millions of years. The species is notable for its ability to remain active on snow surfaces during winter, enabled by glycine-rich antifreeze proteins that prevent ice crystal formation in its tissues. It possesses the characteristic springtail anatomy including a furcula for jumping and a ventral collophore.