Snow fleas jumping on the snow in the Blackfoot watershed mid-February at an elevation around 4,500 feet. For scale, note the size of the snow fleas against the Douglas fir needles in the bark to the left of the fleas.
During sunny late winter days in the Blackfoot Watershed, multitudes of small black things can be seen wriggling on the snow. They are called snow fleas,
Snow fleas, or Hypogastrura nivicola, are part of the arthropod group called springtails which include horseshoe crabs, spiders and scorpions. Springtails are not considered insects because their mouthparts are internal while insect mouths are external.
Unlike parasitic fleas, snow fleas are decomposers and not bloodsuckers. They do not bite or sting.
Leaf litter and decaying wood near trees can serve as habitat and a food source for the snow fleas. According to Development Director at the Missoula Butterfly House and Insectarium Glenn Marangelo, they feed on fungal spores, dead and decaying plant matter, wood, pollen, algae, sap and mosses.
Snow fleas mate in the spring and then lay their eggs in the soil. The eggs will then hatch into nymphs. They molt before reaching adulthood in fall or early winter.
Snow fleas remain active throughout the winter because their bodies are filled with a protein called glycine. Glycine prevents large ice crystals from forming, therefore enabling the snow flea to survive subzero temperatures.
Snow fleas can be found in the summer under duff that collects under the timber. They cannot survive dry climates. They can also live in damp moist areas or even certain water surfaces like puddles. During drought, the snow fleas will desiccate.
Snow flea predators include beetles, centipedes and ants.
They cannot fly, but instead fling themselves about using a body part called a furcula. This appendage comes out from a joint at their abdomen.
"The most common ones [snow flea] we find here in western Montana are only about 1/16 inch long. They are dark blue, have short antennae, and have two eye clusters [with 16 eyes in each]," Marangelo said.
Golden snow fleas have also been found near Missoula on south facing spring slopes.
"You will often find large amounts of them around the base of a tree or for some reason in depressions (like footprints) in the snow." Marangelo added.
Marangelo said there are more than 650 species of springtails in North America and they are considered one of the most abundant macroscopic animals, with estimates of up to 100,000 per square meter of ground.
For more information on snow fleas visit https://www.missoulaeduplace.org and http://www.missoulabutterflyhouse.org
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