COLLEMBOLA > SYMPHYPLEONA > Dicyrtomidae > Dicyrtominae

This particular 'species account' should ideally be read in conjunction with the previous account for Dicyrtomina ornata.

Despite being only 2-3mm in size, Dicyrtomina saundersi is one of the most widely observed springtail species in Britain; photos of which are often used to support articles on Collembola due to their features and the fact that they appear to be smiling when seen face-on. Apart from the shape of the markings, Dicyrtomina saundersi is, to all intents and purposes, identical in appearance and morphological characters to Dicyrtomina ornata. They are both a pale greeny-yellow ground colour with maroon markings, but whereas Dicyrtomina ornata has a solid patch of the dark pigment at the posterior end of the abdomen, Dicyrtomina saundersi is distinctively multi-barred. It also has a definite colour change at the joint of the second and third antennal segments.