Sinella curviseta

Pink tropical springtails

Warmer-climate springtails for heated tropical jars — useful when Folsomia prefers cooler rooms. Taxonomy in trade is messy.

Often sold as Sinella curviseta; pink lines are also labelled Sinella coeca, Coecobrya tenebricosa, or generic pink springtails. Treat the scientific name as provisional unless a lab ID is provided. Longer-bodied, often faintly pink/salmon, quick movers. Useful when a case runs warmer than Folsomia candida prefers. Explain the care niche (warmer, active mould grazers) and admit ID uncertainty rather than inventing a single definitive name. Temperature guidance disagrees across sources — rough working band about 20–30°C.

Diet: Mould, biofilms, organics; yeast / powdered feeds in cultures.

Care tips

Prefer for warmer tropical jars / heated rooms; use Folsomia candida for cool unheated UK shelves.
Keep substrate moist; feed lightly to avoid yeast mould spikes.
Introduce after confirming the case holds steady warmth.
Can complement deeper-dwelling white springtails by working upper layers.

Cautions

Taxonomy/sourcing mess: do not claim certainty from a bag label alone.
Cool UK winters without heat may stall pink/tropical lines that Folsomia would shrug off.
Overfeeding and mites — same as other springtail cultures.
Not a substitute for fixing chronic overwatering.