mystery insect - ID help

rowantreeartist · #1 (**permalink**) 24-09-2009, 08:24 PM

I joined this forum because I have just wasted two hours googling and searching insect websites with no joy!
At lunchtime today, a very small green insect (i counted its legs, and it has antennae) appeared on my book. It had a big fat round abdomen and a tiny head with one eye on each side. It appeared soft-bodied like an aphid, but rounded and it's legs were very thin but quite short. It appeared to be sniffing the air, moving both antennae at the same time, then I blinked and it had dissappeared with no visible means of hopping or flying. It left me gobsmacked! It's possibly something very ordinary, but I take an interest in these things and have never seen one of these.

I have attempted to draw what I saw with my pen tablet - not the most outstanding piece of work, and drawn from memory (but I am an artist, so trust my observation skills fairly well!).... Can anyone suggest what it is I saw?

for some reason I can't post attachments, so I'll have to put it on my blog

HTML Code:

http://blog.rowantreestudios.co.uk/2009/09/mystery-insect.html

rowantreeartist · #2 (**permalink**) 24-09-2009, 08:51 PM

okay - I may have figured it out myself thanks to some Gallery images on this great site! I reckon its a globular springtail: would that fit? Found in the South East of England on lawn.... I couldn't remember whether it had a visible thorax or not but drew it in anyway...
If you think I'm off the mark please let me know - otherwise, I guess I've answered my own question before anyone else has even looked at my post!!

loripo · #3 (**permalink**) 24-09-2009, 08:59 PM

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3653/...0702fb7708.jpg

Was it like this one? - Certainly seems to match your sketch!

Jason Green · #4 (**permalink**) 24-09-2009, 09:23 PM

Hi Rowan, and welcome to WAB

Yes, a Globular Springtail I think. Thanks for the drawing - I was going to suggest you draw one if you hadn't, so thanks!

I've seen pretty big ones on clover. Well, not big in usual insect terms but bigger than your average globular.

Take care,

Jason

rowantreeartist · #5 (**permalink**) 25-09-2009, 04:32 PM

Yeay - glad I got some agreement... thanks.

it was such an odd little thing, had me thinking it might be some kind of disguised tiny alien space craft and when it had dissappeared, I thought it might have gone up my nose to explore, like in that film Inner Space... but then I have a bit of a wild imagination!
Really interesting though - I didn't know springtails were actually massively abundant in the soil (though not necessarily this type!).... I love learning new stuff, makes looking round the garden even more interesting.