[NatureNS] snow fleas (probably Boreus, Mecoptera)

Date: Tue, 16 Feb 2010 18:45:09 -0400
From: Joan Czapalay <joancz@ns.sympatico.ca>
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We used to see them a lot around the shady side of the school in Port La 
Tour, Shel. Co.. I had someone from DRN identify them as "snow fleas" 
for our outdoor nature class, but don't remember the scientific name. 
Seems we always saw them on an unusually mild day in Feb/early March. 
Cheers, Joan

Stephen Shaw wrote:
> Has anyone into winter hiking come across these, snow fleas (Mecoptera =
> scorpionflies)?
> They are expected to be black or brown, about 3 mm long, flightless 
> (vestigial
> wings), come out on to the snow surface in the day in winter, and can 
> jump. They have been photo'd from early December through mid February on
> Bugguide.net, in places like New Hampshire and Ontario.  The species 
> featured
> on Bugguide are mostly Boreus brumalis and Boreus nivoriundus.
>
> A colleague from Cambridge, Malcolm Burrows, who visited here a couple 
> of years
> ago to work on jumping mecahnisms in true bugs, is coming back again 
> later this
> year.  He is the expert on the mechanics of insect jumps and has just 
> asked me
> if any species of Boreus is found here.  Has anyone seen any jumping 
> critter
> like this somewhere in N.S., and if so at what sort of date?
> Thanks,
> Steve
>
>
>
>
>

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