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The furcula is a forked appendage found on the abdomen of springtails, a group of small, primitive, wingless insects. This appendage is held under tension by a clasplike structure called a tenaculum. When released, the furcula acts as a jumping apparatus, allowing the springtail to catapult itself, though their primary mode of movement is crawling. Springtails are found globally in soil and leaf litter and feed on decaying matter.12

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  1. springtail
  2. furcula

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