📸 PhotoPhoto: Andy Murray · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons Source
Folsomia candida
Folsomia candida (Folsomia candida · Folsomia candida)
Not Evaluated (NE) on the IUCN Red List yet.
💡 Everyday Comparisons for Size, Mass & Speed
- 💡 Its body length of 2.5 mm is half the length of a grain of rice (about 5 mm) (Comparison).
- 💡 Raised on the baker's yeast used to make bread and beer, it is used in laboratories to test how chemicals such as pesticides affect the reproduction of soil organisms.
Reference standards: coach bus ~12 m, mid-size car ~4.9 m, compact car ~1 t, basketball hoop 3.05 m, credit card 8.56 cm.
📖 1. Overview
Folsomia candida is a white soil-dwelling springtail about 2.5 mm long that reproduces parthenogenetically among females without males. It is used as a standard laboratory animal for testing the effects of soil pollution.
🦴 2. Anatomy & Morphology
Its slender white body averages 2.5 mm in length. Its jumping organ (furcula) used for springing is well developed, and it has chewing mouthparts.
🔍 3. Ecology & Behavior
In soil it feeds on organic matter such as decaying plants and fungi, while in laboratories it is raised on dried baker's yeast. It is one of two species recommended for tests examining the effects of chemicals on reproduction in soil.
🇰🇷 4. Connection to Korea
Listed as 'Jang-nim-ma-di-tok-to-gi' (Korean name) on the National List of Species of Korea (NIBR).
📚 Sources & References
- • IUCN Red List: not evaluated (NE) — cross-checked with the Wikidata conservation-status entry
- • catalogueoflife.org — 6JBFM
- • 국가생물종목록(국립생물자원관) ktsn 120000023806 — https://species.nibr.go.kr/home/mainHome.do?cont_link=009&subMenu=009002&contCd=009002&ktsn=120000023806
- • wikidata.org — Q10497530
- • commons.wikimedia.org — File:Folsomia candida (8416640195).jpg
- • pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov — PMC5490193
- • .mst.dk — kap06 eng.htm
- • Silhouette: PhyloPic — Kamil S. Jaron · CC0 1.0
Recorded dimensions are widely cited representative estimates from public literature and may vary by study or specimen.