Tetrodontophora bielanensis is one of the largest species of Collembol
a. It occurs in Europe and has a peculiar Circumpannonic distribution.
Starting in the Italian and Austrian Dolomites, its distribution spre
ads eastwardly to the South Carpathians in Romania, then north and wes
terly to the Ukrainian, Slovak, Polish and Moravian North Carpathians
and continues westwardly to the Herzynian Sudetic mountains up to the
Elbe and Vltava Rivers. It does not occur in the Pannonian lowland. It
s ecological requirements were studied, using pitfall traps, in differ
ent ecosystems and mountain altitudinal zones in the Tatra National Pa
rk (Slovakia) and Hruby Jesenik Mountains (Czech Republic). Its soil s
urface activity was highest in beech and spruce forests in the mountai
n forest zone and in Pinus mugo and Vaccinium myrtilli dominated ecosy
stems in the subalpine zone. T. bielanensis was substantially less act
ive in grasslands of the subalpine and lower alpine zones and it did n
ot occur in the upper alpine zone. T. bielanensis is limited to mounta
in and humid mountain areas with cold seasons. Away from mountains, it
s distribution is restricted to wet ecosystems in the vicinity of rive
rs, brooks and springs.