The water springtail is a species of springtail

Springtail

Springtails form the largest of the three lineages of modern hexapods that are no longer considered insects...

, one of only four described species in the family Poduridae. It is an abundant species with a Holarctic

Holarctic

The Holarctic ecozone refers to the habitats found throughout the northern continents of the world as a whole. This region is divided into the Palearctic, consisting of Northern Africa and all of Eurasia, with the exception of Southeast Asia and the Indian subcontinent, and the Nearctic,...

 distribution.

As its common and scientific names suggest, this is an exclusively aquatic species, living its whole life as a scavenger

Scavenger

Scavenging is both a carnivorous and herbivorous feeding behavior in which individual scavengers search out dead animal and dead plant biomass on which to feed. The eating of carrion from the same species is referred to as cannibalism. Scavengers play an important role in the ecosystem by...

 on the surface of all kinds of still water. It is a squat species up to 1.5 mm in length, usually bluish grey but sometimes almost black. The furcula

Furcula (Collembola)

The furcula, or furca, is a tail-like appendage shaped like a fork, found ventrally on the fourth abdominal segment of springtails. Present in most species dwelling the upper soil layers, it is used for jumping when the animal is threatened...

 is large and flattened, allowing the animal to jump without breaking the surface tension

Surface tension

Surface tension is a property of the surface of a liquid that allows it to resist an external force. It is revealed, for example, in floating of some objects on the surface of water, even though they are denser than water, and in the ability of some insects to run on the water surface...

of the water.