Family ISOTOMIDAE

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Introduction

Twenty genera of Isotomidae are recorded from Australia; most are cosmopolitan in distribution. At least one undescribed genus occurs in Australia. This Catalogue records 55 species in 22 genera but there are many more species to be described, particularly in the genus Folsomides which is diverse in arid areas.

Most isotomids live in soil and the gross morphology of species is related to the position in the soil profile at which they live. There are a few wholly marine littoral genera. In some severe habitats, such as are found in the Antarctic and arid zones, isotomids may be extremely abundant and may dominate the fauna. Genera are distinguished mainly on the degree of fusion of the posterior abdominal segments, structure and form of furca, chaetotaxy particularly that of certain sensory (s) setae, presence and form of spines, postantennal organ and development of ocelli.

Tomocerura Wahlgren, 1901 is now considered not to be represented by any described species in Australia (Greenslade 1989). Specimens determined by Womersley (1934, 1939) as Isotomurus chiltoni (Carpenter, 1925) are considered to be misidentified and have been determined (Greenslade 1989) as an undescribed species of Acanthomurus Womersley, 1934. Isotoma chiltoni is now considered not to occur in Australia. Setocerura georgiana (Schaeffer), recorded by Womersley (1934, 1939) as Isotoma georgiana Schaeffer, was considered by Wise (1970) to be a misidentification for Isotoma sp. inquirenda.

The species Pseudosorensia atlantica (Wise, 1970) identified by Greenslade (2006) is now described as Azoritoma macquariensis Greenslade & Potapov, 2008, which removes the genus Pseudosorensia from the Australian list. Similarly Potapov et al. (2009) excluded the genus Subisotoma from the Australian fauna, removing two species, S. australis and S. loftyensis, to a new genus Isotopenola and returning C. tasmaniensis to Cryptopygus.

 

Diagnosis

Characterised by: thorax I reduced and without setae, mandibular plate present, body elongate with segments approximately equal in length, scales absent.

 

General References

Carpenter, G.H. 1925. XI Some Collembola from Southern New Zealand. Memoirs of the Manchester Literary and Philosophical Society 69: 87-102

Deharveng, L. 1977. Étude chaetotaxique des Collemboles Isotomidae: premiers résultats. Bulletin du Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle. Paris Zool. 318: 597-619

Dunger, W. [1994–2004] 2004. Synopsis on Palearctic Collembola. Görlitz : Staatliches Museum für Naturkunde Görlitz, 4 Vols

Greenslade, P. 2006. Invertebrates of Macquarie Island. Kingston, Hobart : The Australian Antarctic Division

Greenslade, Penelope 1989. Genera of Isotomidae with spined dentes from southern regions. pp. 107-118 in Dallai, R. (ed.). Third International Seminar on Apterygota. Sienna : University of Sienna

Greenslade, Penelope & Potapov, M. 2008. A new genus and species of Isotominae (Collembola: Isotomidae) from cushion plants on sub-Antarctic Macquarie Island. Kanunnah 2: 87-97

Potapov, A., Babenko, A., Fjellberg, A. & Greenslade, P. 2009. Taxonomy of the Proisotoma complex. II. A revisions of the genus Subisotoma and a description of Isotopenola gen. nov. (Collembola: Isotomidae). Zootaxa 2314: 1-40

Potapov, M. 2001. Synopses on Palaearctic Collembola. Volume 3. Isotomidae. Abhandlungen und Berichte des Naturkundemuseums Görlitz 73(2): 1-603

Potapov, M., Babenko, A. & Fjellberg, A. 2006. Taxonomy of the Proisotoma complex. Redefinition of genera and description of new species of Scutisotoma and Weberacantha (Collembola, Isotomidae). Zootaxa 132: 1-74

Stach, J. 1947. The Apterygotan fauna of Poland in relation to the world-fauna of this group of insects. Family: Isotomidae. Cracow : Pol. Acad. Sci. Lett. Pt 1 488 pp. 13 pls

Wise, K.A.J. 1970. Collembola of South Georgia. Pacific Insects Monographs 23: 183-208

Womersley, H. 1934. A preliminary account of the Collembola-Arthropleona of Australia. Part II Superfamily Entomobryoidea. Transactions of the Royal Society of South Australia 58: 86-138

Womersley, H. 1939. Primitive Insects of South Australia. Silverfish, springtails and their allies. Adelaide : Frank Trigg, Government Printer 322 pp. 1 pl