Protura
order of hexapods
The Protura, or proturans, and sometimes nicknamed coneheads, are very small (0.6–1.5 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.
Some evidence indicates the Protura are basal to all other hexapods, although not all researchers consider them Hexapoda, rendering the monophyly of Hexapoda unsettled. Uniquely among hexapods, proturans show anamorphic development, whereby body segments are added posteriorly.
There are close to 800 species, described in seven families. Nearly 300 species are contained in a single genus, Eosentomon.
Morphology
Proturans have no compound eyes, wings, or antennae, and, lacking pigmentation, are usually whitish or pale brown. The sensory function of the absent antennae is fulfilled by the first pair of the three pairs of five-segmented legs, which are held up, pointing forward, and bearing numerous tarsal sensilla and sensory hairs. They ambulate using the four rear legs. The head is conical, and bears two pseudoculi with unknown function.
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This entry incorporates text from “Protura” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.