Specimen image via iDigBio · CC0
Machilidae
Sign in to saveThe Machilidae, commonly known as jumping bristletails, are a family of insects belonging to the order Archaeognatha (the bristletails). There are around 450 described species worldwide. These insects are wingless, elongated and more or less cylindrical with a distinctive humped thorax and covered with tiny, close-fitting scales. The colour is usually grey or brown, sometimes intricately patterned. There are three "tails" at the rear of the abdomen: two cerci and a long central epiproct. They have large compound eyes, often meeting at a central point. They resemble the silverfish and the fireb
Species
klippborstsvansar
FAMILY
- KingdomAnimalia
- PhylumArthropoda
- ClassInsecta
- OrderArchaeognatha
- FamilyMachilidae
via GBIF
Museum specimens
- Specimen records
- 193
- With media
- 42
- Family
- Machilidae
- Collections
- UAM, UCSB, LACM, UNM, PSUC, NMMNHS
- Recorded in
- United States
Wikidata facts
- Instance of
- taxon
- Parent taxon
- Archaeognatha
- Image
- Pedetontus unimaculatus 01 female.jpg
Show 5 more facts
- taxon common name
- steinsprett
- Commons category
- Machilidae
- taxon rank
- family
- taxon name
- Machilidae
- topic's main category
- Category:Machilidae
Sources (2)
via Wikidata · CC0
~7 min read
Encyclopedic overview
12 sectionsContents
- Distribution and habitat
- Description
- Overview
- Head
- Mouthpart
- Thorax
- Leg
- Abdomen
- Sexual dimorphism and nymph stage
- Genera
- Gallery
- References
The Machilidae, commonly known as jumping bristletails, are a family of insects belonging to the order Archaeognatha (the bristletails). There are around 450 described species worldwide. These insects are wingless, elongated and more or less cylindrical with a distinctive humped thorax and covered with tiny, close-fitting scales. The colour is usually grey or brown, sometimes intricately patterned. There are three "tails" at the rear of the abdomen: two cerci and a long central epiproct. They have large compound eyes, often meeting at a central point. They resemble the silverfish and the firebrat, which are from a different order, Zygentoma.
Machilids undergo virtually no metamorphosis during their life cycles, and both nymphs and adults are generally inconspicuous herbivores and scavengers. Many species are restricted to rocky shorelines, but some are found in well-vegetated habitats inland. They can move very fast and often escape by jumping considerable distances when disturbed.
Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “Machilidae” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.