With around 250 species, Collembola are one of the most diverse groups in Britain and Ireland but relatively little is known about the geographical ranges of all but the most common species. Although they are regarded as a `difficult' group and can appear daunting to study, with a little practice one soon becomes familiar with the characteristics of the larger and more common species.
This key has been designed to guide the beginner to this group through the identification process and should allow all adult Collembola to be identified to species level.