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Hobby culture

Santa Claus

Trade name Unresolved

Also sold as Redford White

A culture sold as Santa Claus. The species behind it is not known. The closest working name is Neanuridae sp. 'Santa Claus'.

The identification is a working one. Do not cite it as a confirmed species.

What the name stands for

Three different things share one name. A culture is not a species, and a species is not the animals in your tub. Keeping them apart is how this site avoids repeating the trade's mistakes.

  1. The culture

    A lineage kept in tubs and passed between keepers under one name. The name comes from the trade.

    Name type
    Trade name

    The origin of this stock is not documented.

  2. The species it matches

    The working identification, and how it was reached.

    Neanuridae sp. 'Santa Claus'
    Name form
    Family only Only the family is known.
    How sure
    Unresolved There is not enough evidence to name it.

  3. The animals checked

    No specimen has been examined. The name rests on the trade label.

    Basis
    Trade label only
    Review
    Reviewed by a curator

Care advice follows the working identification. Check it against what you see.

What would settle it

  • Which genera and species are the red and white neanurid hobby cultures?

    Identification Needs a specialist

    Why it matters. Thai Red, Thai Red Spiky, Thai Ruby, Pennywise and Santa Claus all look like plump coloured neanurids. Colour alone cannot place them, and visually different lines may or may not be different species.

    What would help. Vouchers from each line scored for tubercles, setae, eyes, mouthparts and claws against the revisions of the group.

  • Which species is this culture, checked by a specialist?

    Identification Needs a voucher specimen

    Why it matters. Hobby cultures are mostly named from a seller's label or a photograph. A wrong name spreads from seller to keeper and then into care advice.

    What would help. Preserved vouchers from the culture in 80 to 95 percent ethanol, mounted specimens examined by a springtail specialist, and a DNA barcode where a reference exists. Deposit the voucher with a museum or a university collection.