Family SMINTHURIDIDAE
Introduction
This family was recognised by Richards' (1968) as a subfamily but is treated here as a family following Betsch (1980), who raised Richards' seven subfamilies to family status. There are 4 genera and 6 species in Australia.
Members of the Sminthurididae are fairly small Collembola and exhibit marked sexual dimorphism; several genera include aquatic species, although none are marine. Generally species have short life histories. For instance, species of Sphaeridia can complete the life cycle from egg to adult in less than a week under suitable conditions.
Diagnosis
Characterised by: thorax I reduced and without setae, mandibular plate present, thorax II to abdomen IV more or less fused and globular, abdomen V and VI also fused, postantennal organ absent, antenna III equal to or shorter than antenna IV, males bearing clasping antennae, females lacking anal appendages.
General References
Betsch, J.M. 1980. Éléments pour une monographie des Collemboles Symphypléones. (Hexapodes, Aptérygotes). Mémoires du Muséum Nationale d'Histoire Naturelle. Paris Zool. 116: 1-227
Bretfeld, G. 1999. Synopses on Palaearctic Collembola. WinterDruck, Herrnhut : Staatliches Museum für Naturkunde Görlitz Vol. 2 318 pp.
Richards, W.R. 1968. Generic classification, evolution and biogeography of the Sminthuridae of the world (Collembola). Memoirs of the Entomological Society of Canada 53: 1-54
Stach, J. 1956. The Apterygotan fauna of Poland in relation to the world-fauna of this group of insects. Family: Sminthuridae. Cracow : Pol. Akad. Nauk Pt 6 287 pp. 33 pls