Subclass Apterygota:
Apterous (wingless) insects, metamorphosis slight or absent.
Order Microcoryphia
(micro = small; coryph = head)
COMMON NAME: Bristletails
QUICK DESCRIPTION: Bristletails are wingless, jumping insects with long antennae, very large eyes, biting mouthparts, and three very fine "tails". They live amoung stones and rubble or in woods and grass, and feed mostly on algae. When the young are born, they resemble the adults--unlike some insects, they do not develop from eggs to larvae, pupae, and adults.
MINUTE DETAILS: Small or moderately sized apterygote insects; head with long multisegmented antennae, large compound eyes and ocelli, ectognathous chewing mouthparts, mandibles with single articulation; thorax with large paranotal lobe, legs with three tarsal segments; abdomen eleven segmented, paired styli present on each abdominal segment, long multi-segmented cerci present.
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