Species of Willemia are small, white, blind, soil- or sand-dwelling Collembola which have no trace of a furca. Willemia buddenbrocki (0.5 mm) has two anal spines (Fig. 1). The PAO is relatively large with about 12 vesicles arranged in an oval (Fig. 2). The tip of ant4 has a pair of large sensory bodies recessed in an elongated pit (Fig. 3). There are 2+2 setae along the midline of abd4 and seta p2 on abd5 is absent. Willemia buddenbrocki is known only from two specimens collected by Harold Gough in 1974 from limestone soil at Tarlton, Gloucestershire. However, it is so tiny that it is likely to have been overlooked in the past and is bound to turn up in several other localities.

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Fig. 1 (above): Anal spines of Willemia buddenbrocki collected from Tarlton, Gloucestershire in March 1974 by Harold Gough.

Fig. 2 (above): Post-antennal organ (PAO) of the same specimen of Willemia buddenbrocki shown in Fig. 1. The PAO has about 12 vesicles.

Fig. 3 (above): Tip of the antenna of the same specimen of Willemia buddenbrocki shown in Fig. 1. The fourth antennal segment (ant4) has a pair of large sensory bodies (*) recessed in an elongated pit