Holocanthella spp.
Did you know that New Zealand is home to real GIANTS?
With one species growing up to a whopping 17 mm long, Holacanthella are the biggest springtails in the world, and are found only in Aotearoa. They’re so big, they’ve lost the ability to spring, and so rather than leaping away from predators, there’s evidence that they might instead defensively bleed to deter them!
Living on decaying wood in indigenous forests, these adorable little creatures spend their lives grazing on fungi, slime molds and decaying plant material. They play a crucial role in regulating the decomposition of organic matter and nutrient cycling in native bush systems. And, since they only live in undisturbed native forests, they could be useful biological indicators of indigenous forest health!
There are currently five described species of Holacanthella, but there could be a few more to come, so keep your eyes peeled!
Check these links for more info on the Giant Springtail in NZ
Wikipedia: Information on Holocanthella
Critter of the Week: The New Zealand Giant Springtail
A Chaos of Delight: Soil animals- springtails, soil mites and mesofauna
Soil Ecology & Macrophotography: Illuminating a hidden world
A small kind of giant (by Frank Ashwood)
In Devonian mud, where the first steps were made,
Early springtails evolved in a joyous parade.
Reaching new heights by giving furcas a flick,
It’s an ungraceful flight, but one hell of a trick.
Over four hundred million years they’ve existed,
That’s five mass extinctions through which they’ve persisted.
When Gondwana split and the land tore asunder,
The springtails adapted to a new life down-under.
In young Aotearoa’s dampened earth,
A new form evolved, a curious birth.
Residing under logs where shadows lay claim,
Its spring now exchanged for a sturdier frame.
Big, strong and proud, it roams with slow grace,
Trading high bounds for a bold, steady pace.
Its form immense, with spines coloured bright,
A small kind of giant, a wondrous sight.
images
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