Hobby culture
Seira dowlingi
Trade name Probable
A culture sold as Seira dowlingi. The working identification is Seira dowlingi.
Read this first
The classification shown here is a working one.
A name used wrongly in the trade is not a synonym. Treat it as a trade label.
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.
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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.
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The species it matches
The working identification, and how it was reached.
Seira dowlingi- Name form
- Exact name The name has been matched against the published description.
- How sure
- Probable More likely than not, with gaps left.
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The animals checked
A specimen was examined.
- Basis
- Body form, checked by an expert
- Review
- Reviewed by a curator
Care advice follows the working identification. Check it against what you see.
What would settle it
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Is *Seira dowlingi* a valid species or a synonym of *Seira musarum*?
Taxonomy Needs a specialist
Why it matters. The Checklist of the Collembola lists the old name among the synonyms of Seira musarum, yet a 2019 study treats Seira dowlingi as a species and the hobby uses the name.
What would help. A specialist opinion on the 2019 study and a comparison of type material.