The Protura, or proturans, and sometimes nicknamed coneheads,[2][3] are very small (<2 mm long), soil-dwelling animals, so inconspicuous they were not noticed until the 20th century. The Protura constitute an order of hexapods that were previously regarded as insects, and sometimes treated as a class in their own right.[1][4][5]
Some evidence indicates the Protura are basal to all other hexapods,[6] although not all researchers consider them Hexapoda, rendering the monophyly of Hexapoda unsettled.[7] Uniquely among hexapods, proturans show anamorphic development, whereby body segments are added during moults.[8]
There are close to 800 species, described in seven families. Nearly 300 species are contained in a single genus, Eosentomon.[1][9]
| Protura | |
|---|---|
_micrograph.jpg) | |
| Acerentomon species under stereo microscope | |
Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Entognatha |
| Order: | Protura Silvestri, 1907 |
| Families [1] | |
Acerentomata Eosentomata | |
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Protura
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