Brachystomella parvula
Rio Bosque Wetlands Park
El Paso, El Paso County, Texas
Coordinates: 31.647932, -106.310925
January 16, 2016
Collected by Salvador Vitanza
Determined by Frans Janssens (Collembola expert) who after slide-mounting and examining the specimens said:
“I did receive your sample of specimens in good condition. Thanks! I mounted 5 on a slide in Hoyer medium to properly clear them. This will take a few weeks. In the meantime, I had a quick peek and the specimens turned out to be Brachystomella: anal spines absent, unguiculus absent, 8+8 ocelli, mandibles absent. The head of the maxillae typically has 4 distinctly large teeth, and this is diagnostic for the genus. Christiansen & Bellinger (1998) point out that the US specimens could be different from the European. Your habitus pictures might support this view given the European specimens are more reddish than yours.“