Hobby culture
Tropical Pink
Common name Strongly supported
Also sold as Tropical White
A culture sold as Tropical Pink. The working identification is Coecobrya tenebricosa.
Read this first
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
- Common 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.
Coecobrya tenebricosa- Name form
- Exact name The name has been matched against the published description.
- How sure
- Strongly supported Several lines of evidence agree.
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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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Do all hobby Tropical cultures trace to one *Coecobrya tenebricosa* stock?
Molecular Open
Why it matters. The Tropical Pink and Tropical White cultures were sold for years as Sinella curviseta. One seller has now named them Coecobrya tenebricosa, but cultures that passed through many hands may not share one origin.
What would help. COI barcodes from several sellers' Tropical cultures, compared with the barcode group that a 2019 study of Polish terrariums assigned to Coecobrya tenebricosa.
Jaskula and colleagues 2019 on animals found in hobby terrariums
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Is a culture sold as Tropical White a *Coecobrya* or a *Folsomia*?
Trade names Needs a voucher specimen
Why it matters. The name Tropical White is used for the pale form of Coecobrya tenebricosa and has also been used for Folsomia candida. The two want different care.
What would help. A voucher from each culture checked under a microscope, and a note of the seller and the date of purchase.