Trisha Shetty (Editor)

Boreus hyemalis

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Kingdom
  
Animalia

Order
  
Mecoptera

Genus
  
Boreus

Higher classification
  
Boreus

Phylum
  
Arthropoda

Family
  
Boreidae

Scientific name
  
Boreus hyemalis

Rank
  
Species

Boreus hyemalis Boreus hyemalis male The male differs visibly from female Flickr

Similar
  
Boreus, Snow scorpionfly, Insect, Mecoptera, Boreus westwoodi

Boreus hyemalis ita sub eng l abominevole insetto delle nevi 1


Boreus hyemalis (Syn.: Boreus hiemalis) is an insect, 3 to 4.5 millimetres long from the family of Boreidae. Its English name is snow flea, but this is also the (US) name of a type of springtail.

Contents

Boreus hyemalis Midwinter Madness The Snow flea Don39t Forget the Roundabouts

It has stubby, grey-brown wings with a metallic sheen. Snow fleas crawl or hop over the snow at temperatures around freezing point and thus resemble glacier fleas and snow scorpionflies (which in the UK are also known as snow fleas) of the springtail family in their behaviour.

Boreus hyemalis httpsuploadwikimediaorgwikipediacommons33

The males have 4 short, wing vestiges which curve downwards at their ends. The females only have two scale-like wing vestiges. In general, the female may be recognised from a curved, sabre-like pipe that acts as an ovipositor. In their fully formed state, these animals are only found in the colder period of the year between October and March. During this time mating takes place. The larvae live on moss-covered areas and withdraw in September into holes in the group to pupate.

Boreus hyemalis Snow Flea Boreus hyemalis

Boreus hyemalis h t cs k a pilisben


Boreus hyemalis Midwinter Madness The Snow flea Don39t Forget the Roundabouts

Boreus hyemalis FileBoreus hyemalis female1jpg Wikimedia Commons

References

Boreus hyemalis Wikipedia