Tomoceridae, Schaffer, 1896

Antipova, M. D. & Babenko, A. B., 2022, An annotated checklist of the springtails (Hexapoda: Collembola) recorded from the foothill and mountain parts of the Republic of North Ossetia-Alania, North Caucasus, Russia, Russian Entomological Journal 31 (4), pp. 331-345 : 341

Family Tomoceridae

Pogonognathellus flavescens (Tullberg, 1871) . According to the list of the springtails of the nature reserve [ Kuchiev, 2006], this Holarctic species is common and “ occurs in the forest belt and subalpine meadows throughout the nature reserve.” It has not been found in our collections.

Tomocerina minuta (Tullberg, 1876) . A boreal Holarctic species, in the southern regions it is common in the mountains, including the Caucasus and Transcaucasia [ Martynova, 1969]. In the Republic of North Ossetia, the species was recorded from the forests of the nature reserve [ Kuchiev, 2006; Kuznetsova et al., 2019]. Based on our material from the Tsey foreland, the species is common in a wide range of communities, but not abundant as a rule.

Tomocerus vulgaris (Tullberg, 1871) . A cosmopolitan typical inhabitant of the forest leaf litter and rotten wood. In the Tsey Gorge, this species populates leaf litter of all types of forest communities in large numbers [ Kuchiev, 2006; Kuznetsova et al. 2019, our data]. Moreover, in the successional series of the Tsey foreland, this has been found along with the appearance of young trees (1984–2250 m a.s.l.).

Tomocerus minor (Lubbock, 1862) . A widespread Holarctic species. In the territory of the nature reserve, this is a rare species recorded from the forest belt [ Kuchiev, 2006].

** Tomocerus sp. The taxonomic status of this form, which clearly prefers alpine communities near glaciers, is unclear. We have revealed this form only in the early stages of postglacial succession (4–14-year old plots since the glacier’s retreat in the Tsey Gorge: 2320– 2295 m a.s.l.). In addition, the species has also been recorded from a lateral moraine of the Skazsky Glacier (2490 m a.s.l.). It differs clearly from T. vulgaris , the most widespread species of the genus in the area, primarily by the number and arrangement of spiny setae on the dens.