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Poduromorpha · Onychiuridae

Onychiurinae sp. 'Snowflakes'

A small white springtail with no species name yet.A small white hobby culture called Snowflake, placed in the subfamily Onychiurinae without a species name. Springtails US has not sold it under another name. Anecdotal 1

Also sold or known as

Working identification: sp. (species not named)

The genus is known. The species is not.

This page is a stub

It records the name, a drawing and what the sources say so far. Sections that say nothing is recorded are waiting for evidence.

Side view drawing of Onychiurinae sp. 'Snowflakes', drawn from sourced body proportions. It is a drawing, not a photograph.
Drawing
Schematic plate drawn from the group and the keeper colour name. Proportions and eye count are not measured from a specimen. The colour comes from the hobby name only.

No size is recorded for this species yet, so true size is not available.

At a glance

Identification
Tentative Stable How sure we are

Not recorded yet: Size, Difficulty, Growth, Temperature, Air humidity, Best enclosures.

Identification

Characters to check

These are the features recorded for this species. Each row says what kit you need to read it.

Character What it looks like Needs
Body form Short and plump The body is short, broad and grub-like with a rounded outline. / Slim tube The body is a smooth tube with segments you can see, and shorter antennae and legs. Varies Inherited: Poduromorpha 2 Naked eye
Scales No scales The body has no scales, only skin and bristles. Inherited: Poduromorpha 2, 3 Hand loupe
Antenna length Shorter than half the body The antennae are short and stubby, clearly less than half the body length. Inherited: Poduromorpha 3 Phone macro
Antenna segments Four plain segments The antenna has four clear segments and none is divided into rings. / Divided into rings At least one segment is split into small rings, which makes the antenna look jointed. Varies Inherited: Collembola 4 Stereo microscope
Eyes No eyes The head has no dark eyespots. Inherited: Onychiurinae 3 Phone macro
Jumping organ Absent No forked organ sits under the abdomen, and the animal does not spring. Inherited: Onychiurinae 3 Hand loupe
6 characters have no record yet

Nobody has recorded these for this species, so the key treats them as unknown and never guesses.

  • Body length
  • Main colour
  • Colour pattern
  • Surface texture
  • Mouth shape
  • Spines on the tail end

Identify an animal you have

Answer in any order, with the kit you have.

Husbandry and breeding

No husbandry data is recorded for this species yet.

Tools

Print a care card

Key numbers and a QR code back to this page.

Bioactive compatibility

Fit by enclosure type

No temperature or moisture range is recorded for this species, so no fit can be estimated yet. Missing data is never scored as a poor fit.

Animals that eat springtails mean the springtails need topping up. The explorer shows which species keep up with the animals in your enclosure. Open the compatibility explorer

Natural history and distribution

No distribution is recorded for this species yet.

Taxonomy and naming history

Springtails US says it has not been sold under another name. Anecdotal 1

How sure the name is

Name type
sp. (species not named) The genus is known. The species is not.
Confidence
Tentative A best guess that needs checking.
Evidence for the name
Trade label only
Stability
Stable Sources agree and the name has not moved in years.
Review
Imported, not reviewed

Classification

Trade and hobby names

Trade names are not taxonomy. Each one is a label that sellers use, with its own page.

Name Kind How likely
Snowflakes Trade name Tentative

Open questions and sources

Open questions

  • Which species is the Snowflake culture?

    Identification Needs a specialist

    Why it matters. Eyeless pale springtails look alike. Pseudocelli, the postantennal organ, furca and setae decide the species, and none of them has been recorded for this culture.

    What would help. Slide-mounted adults examined for pseudocelli, the postantennal organ and the third antennal segment organ.

  • 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.

Sources

  1. 1

    Springtail Identification and Common Name Resource

    Pavy R. Springtails US

    Link works · Retailer

    Cited at hobby name list, Onychiurinae sp Snowflake.

  2. 2

    Biology of the Springtails (Insecta: Collembola)

    Hopkin SP. 1997. Oxford University Press

    Verified against a registry · Specialist monograph

    Cited at chapter on external morphology.

  3. 3

    The Collembola of Fennoscandia and Denmark. Part I: Poduromorpha

    Fjellberg A. 1998. Brill

    Verified against a registry · Specialist monograph

    Cited at introduction; Onychiuridae.

  4. 4

    Checklist of the Collembola of the World

    Bellinger PF, Christiansen KA, Janssens F

    Link works · Authoritative database

    Cited at Introduction, external anatomy and morphology.

Spotted a mistake or know a better source?

Page data reviewed Oct 22, 2026