Folsomides parvulus is a rare species with a very distinctive body shape (Fig. 1). It is white in life, has 2+2 ocelli (Fig. 2), and a mucro with two teeth fused to the dens which has 3 dorsal setae (Fig. 3). There is one slide in the NHML collection bearing the Hartland Moor specimen) but I have seen individuals collected by Peter Shaw from Box Hill in Surrey which are definitely this species. The other literature records are from a chalk quarry in Yorkshire (Parr, 1978) and manure in the rose garden at Kew Gardens (Lawrence, 1967). Folsomides sp. are well-known for their ability to withstand extreme dryness and can survive for long periods in a cryptobiotic state.

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Fig. 1 (above): Folsomides parvulus of 0.7 mm in length collected from Hartland Moor, Dorset in November 1963 by Peter Lawrence. Note the distinctive angular profile of the posterior abdomen.

Fig. 3 (above): Furca of the same specimen of Folsomides parvulus shown in Fig. 1. There are three dorsal setae on the dens (*). The mucro has two teeth and is fused to the dens.

Fig. 2 (above): Head of the same specimen of Folsomides parvulus shown in Fig. 1. The post-antennal organ (PAO) is long and thin and there are 2+2 ocelli. Ant, anterior; Post, posterior.