why are springtails not considered insects

[Indigo]

What the title said. as I was having a conversation with a friend. and she suddenly asked me this question. tired to google it but no source came up. does anyone know? and source link?


Thanks in Advance
Indigo

 

[cp-connection]

Insects have six legs. Do springtails? http://insects.tamu.edu/fieldguide/aimg1.html 3 pairs is 6!

 

[Frilleon]

I would have to say it's an insect! There is a lot more to define and insect then six legs , see here http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Insect. The springtail has them all!

 

[sarracenia]

yes, they're in class Insecta. perhaps your friend was thinking of something else?

 

[Indigo]

But springtail is considered as non-insect hexapods

 

[swords]

According to Wikipedia it seems to be because Springtails have internal mouth parts and insects have external mouth parts.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Collembola

 

[Not a Number]

They are hexapods - six legs but class Collembola, not Insecta.

 

[cp-connection]

Whoa! Thanks!

They are hexapods - six legs but class Collembola, not Insecta.

 

[jimscott]

Just following up on the link, which led to another link, the author wrote:

IDENTIFICATION
Springtails are among the smallest insects in the home landscape. Typical species are about .04 inch or 1 mm long, barely visible to the eye. Under a handlens or microscope the most distinctive physical characteristic of springtails is their long tail, which is normally kept folded under the body. This tail, when sprung from its folded position, causes these insects to jump, much like a flea.
Springtails come in a variety of shapes, colors and sizes, but to the human eye usually appear as small, grey specks. Springtails can be distinguished from fleas by their appearance and much smaller size. Unlike fleas, springtails do not bite and will not infest or annoy people.

 

[Baylorguy]

I have no idea what they are, but my pings sure as heck like them.

 

[sarracenia]

had to look this up. when I had my aquatic insect class some time ago, they were class insecta: order collembola. apparently there is some disagreement now, some consider them in their own class of collembola, others say they're a subclass of another class (entognatha), while others (probably old-school types) still put them with the insects. gives me a headache.

 

[jimscott]

I have a love-hate relationship with Taxonomy & Speciation!