SPRINGTAIL  , the See also:

• COMMON

common name of a See also:

• GROUP

group of small See also:

• INSECTS

insects, so named from the presence of a pair of tail-like appendages at the end of the See also:

• ABDOMEN (a Latin word, either from abdere, to hide, or from a form adipomen, from adeps, fat)

abdomen, which acts as a See also:

• SPRING (from " to spring," " to leap or jump up," " burst out," O. Eng., springau, a common Teut. word, cf. Ger. springer, possibly allied to Gr. QnrFpxecOac, to move rapidly)

spring . When the See also:

• INSECT

insect is undisturbed these appendages are turned forwards and held in position by a catch beneath the abdomen; but in See also:

• CASE
• CASE, JOHN (d. 1600)

case of alarm they are kicked forcibly downwards and back-wards, jerking the See also:

• BODY

body into the See also:

• AIR (from an Indo-European root meaning " breathe," " blow ")
• AIR, or ASBEN

air . This See also:

• ACTION

action may be rapidly repeated until a See also:

• PLACE (through Fr. from Lat. platea, street; Gr. IrAar6s, wide)

place of safety is reached . These insects usually live under fallen leaves, stones or the bark of trees, and sometimes occur in such quantities as to resemble patches of See also:

• POWDER (through O. Fr. puldre, modern poudre, from Lat. pulvis, pulveris, dust)

powder or dust . One See also:

• SPECIES

species (Podura aquatica) may be seen floating in this way in masses upon the See also:

• SURFACE

surface of See also:

• STANDING

standing See also:

• WATER

water . Another (Achorutes socialis) may sometimes be found in abundance in the See also:

• SNOW (in O. Eng. sndw; a common Indo-European word; cf. in Teutonic languages, Ger. Schnee, Du. sneeuw; in Slavonic snieg', Lith. snegas; Gr. vi4a, Lat. nix, nivis, whence the Romanic forms, Ital. neve, Fr. neige, &c.; Ir. and Gael. sneachd; the original

snow . Zoologically the springtails belong to the sub-See also:

• ORDER
• ORDER (through Fr. ordre, for earlier ordene, from Lat. ordo, ordinis, rank, service, arrangement; the ultimate source is generally taken to be the root seen in Lat. oriri, rise, arise, begin; cf. " origin ")
• ORDER, HOLY

order Collembola of the order See also:

• APTERA (Greek for " wingless ")

Aptera (q.v.) .