Springtail Wiki

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Trade name

Varicolored Springtail

Trade name North America

Also written as: Compost Varicolor Springtail, Compost Springtail, Varicoloured Springtail, Variocolored Springtail, Varicolor Springtail

Sold as Varicolored Springtail. The most likely species is Entomobrya assuta.

I bought this Open the key with this name selected. It starts from the species behind the name and asks what you can see.

What you probably have

These are the species the name may stand for. The order and the words show how sure we are.

  • Likely

    Entomobrya assuta

    Sold as the hobby culture Varicolored

    A collembologist read the stock as a patternless form of Entomobrya assuta. The seller notes that other animals collected as E. assuta behaved differently, and plans DNA sequencing. Anecdotal 1

  • Unlikely

    Entomobrya confusa

    This species does not have a page yet.

    The stock was sold as Entomobrya confusa, but the 2026 identification replaced that name. Anecdotal 1, 2

How to tell them apart

The animals are yellowish brown or greyish blue with no pattern. A collembologist notes that these are the same two background colours Katz and colleagues report for Illinois populations of E. assuta. Anecdotal 1

Where the name comes from

The seller introduced it as Entomobrya sp. Compost because it was collected from compost. A species name followed soon after, and the common name was changed before the stock became widely available, but some buyers received cultures labelled Compost. Anecdotal 2
In 2026 the stock moved from Entomobrya confusa to Entomobrya assuta var. nov. The var. nov. is a note that the form may be new. It is not a species name. Anecdotal 1

If you sell or buy under this name

Tip When an identification is tentative, write cf. before the species name and keep it until the match is confirmed. Anecdotal 1
Tip When a stock changes name, tell buyers and other sellers widely. Otherwise one animal ends up with two names, and two animals end up sharing one. Anecdotal 1

What would settle it

Sources

  1. 1

    Major Springtail Hobby Identification Updates (2026)

    Pavy R. 2026. Springtails US

    Link works · Retailer

    Cited at Entomobrya confusa Varicolored Springtail to Entomobrya assuta var. nov.; Isotomurus retardatus Green Water Springtail to Isotomurus cf. louisiana; Neanura growae Florida Orange Springtail to Yuukianura aphoruroides.

  2. 2

    Springtail Identification and Common Name Resource

    Pavy R. Springtails US

    Link works · Retailer

    Cited at Species plus common name changes, Entomobrya sp "Compost Springtail" to "Varicolored Springtail".