Published: March 10, 2021

The ŷڱƵ Snow Flea,ǰܲDZǰԲ, is named for specimens collected from the Mountain Research Station on Niwot Ridge in 1952andnow preserved in our entomology collection.The common name“snowflea”also covers another group of insects calledCollembola, or springtails and it is important to note these are distinct from the ŷڱƵ Snow Fleashown here. The ŷڱƵ Snow Flea is ascorpionfly, afamiliar insect to fly fishers! ŷڱƵ Snow Fleas are very small, barely reaching 2.5mm long. Their bodies are black with a bronzeiridescence,and they are covered in small white hairs that can only be seen withtheaid ofcolorado snow flea a microscope. Despite theirdiminutivesize, their dark body color contrastswith the snow and their occasional abundance and aggregating behavior make them easily detectable during the late months of winter and early months of spring on top of snow. ŷڱƵ Snow Fleas can be found between 7,500- and 12,000-feet above sea level in forested mountain slopes. Both immature and adult ŷڱƵ Snow Fleas feed on moss. Similar to moss, these insects are intolerant of dry conditions and are inactive during the dry months of the year. To withstand the freezing temperatures, Snow Fleas can cool the temperature of their body fluids to -23°F!

Catching sight of an active insect during ŷڱƵ’s winter months is a rarity, and this must have been what William S.Osburn–one of the founding board members of theŷڱƵ’sInstitute for Arctic and Alpine Research–thought when he decided to collect several specimens of the ŷڱƵ Snow Flea in 1952. These specimens were quickly vouchered in the entomology collection of the ŷڱƵ Museum of Natural History, and later sent on to an entomologist who specialized on the Snow Flea group, George Byers. In 1955, Byers declared the ŷڱƵ SnowScorpionflya unique species –ǰܲDZǰԲByers. The type specimen, or the specimen for which the species description is written, is vouchered at ŷڱƵMNH.

Common name: ŷڱƵ Snow Flea
Scientific name: ǰܲDZǰԲByers(Order:Mecoptera)
Label data: USA: Boulder County, ŷڱƵ; 7 miles West of Ward; 12,000 ft; 17 April 1952, W.S.Osburn