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Home » Guide » Arthropods (Arthropoda) » Hexapods (Hexapoda) » Coneheads (Protura)

Class Protura - Coneheads

Classification · Explanation of Names · Numbers · Size · Identification · Range · Habitat · Food · Life Cycle · Remarks · Works Cited

Proturan found under bark of small branch.

Proturan under small damp rotting wood fragment

Proturan, dorsal abdomen - Hesperentomon macswaini

Classification

Kingdom Animalia (Animals)

Phylum Arthropoda (Arthropods)

Subphylum Hexapoda (Hexapods)

Class Protura (Coneheads)

Explanation of Names

'Proto' meaning first, 'ura' meaning tail.

Numbers

~80 spp. in 21 genera of 4 families in our area (synopsis below), ~750 spp. in >70 genera of 7 families worldwide(1)

Family HESPERENTOMIDAE (1 sp.)

Hesperentomon macswaini

Family PROTENTOMIDAE (4 spp. in 3 genera)

Neocondeellum americanum

Protentomon (2 spp.)

Proturentomon iowaense

Family ACERENTOMIDAE (29 spp. in 15 genera)

Subfamily Berberentulinae

Acerentuloides americanus

Acerentulus (2 spp.)

Baculentulus macqueeni

Gracilentulus (3 spp.)

Proacerella reducta

Subfamily Acerentominae

Filientomon barberi

Fjellbergella tuxeni

Orinentomon greenbergi

Tuxenentulus (2 spp.)

Subfamily Nipponentominae

Alaskaentomon (2 spp.)

Nipponentomon (6 spp.)

Nosekiella (3 spp.)

Paracerella americana

Verrucoentomon (3 spp.)

Vesiculentomon (2 spp.)

Family EOSENTOMIDAE (45 spp. in 2 genera)

Eosentomon (43 spp.)

Styletoentomon (2 spp.)

Size

0.6-1.5 mm(2)

Identification

Traits:

Small

Usually white or cream colored

Head conical

Entognathus, mouth-parts in a pouch.

No Antennae, first pair of legs serve a sensory roll

Immatures have 9-11 abdominal segments, they gain one at each molt. Adults have 12 abdominal segments

Range

Worldwide except polar regions and nival zones of mountains(1)

Habitat

Moist soil/humus, leaf mold, rotting logs.

Food

Decomposing organic matter

Life Cycle

Three molts only

Remarks

Can be very abundant; densities of >90,000 per sq. meter reported (in a German forest)

Works Cited

1.	Catalogue of the world Protura Szeptycki A. 2007. Acta Zoologica Cracoviensia 50B: 1-210.

2.	Borror and DeLong's Introduction to the Study of Insects Norman F. Johnson, Charles A. Triplehorn. 2004. Brooks Cole.

Contributed by John F. Carr on 15 March, 2009 - 6:47am
Additional contributions by v belov, Nathaniel Green
Last updated 31 August, 2022 - 1:46pm

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