Cold tolerance of two Antarctic terrestrial arthropods

Summary Two Antarctic arthropods,Alaskozetes antarcticus (Acari) andCryptopygus antarcticus (Collembola) possess the ability to supercool to –30°C, but the realisation of this potential is dependent on starvation. The mite contains glycerol in a concentration of about 1% fresh weight.Acknowledgments. We thank the British Antarctic Survey, Cambridge and the Zoological Institute. University of Oslo for support and reasearch facilities, and the Natural Environment Research Council for a research grant (GR. 3/2797). We are grateful to Ms I. Tambs-Lyche for technical assistance.