Identification, Images, & Information
For Insects, Spiders & Their Kin
For the United States & Canada
Home » Guide » Arthropods (Arthropoda) » Hexapods (Hexapoda) » Insects (Insecta) » Bristletails (Microcoryphia) » Jumping Bristletails (Machilidae) » Machilinae » Trigoniophthalmus » Trigoniophthalmus alternatus
Photo#327273
Unidentified Iridescent Insect - Trigoniophthalmus alternatus
Copyright © 2009 Sea Moon

Unidentified Iridescent Insect - Trigoniophthalmus alternatus
Pittsburgh , Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, USA
August 29, 2009
Size: 1/2 inch
This insect was hiding under a piece of rotted wood.I thought it might be either a silverfish relative or a nymph stage of something, but I'm not at all sure what it is.After taking another shot of this insect, it made a big hop onto the forest floor and out of sight, in the manner of a planthopper...
Contributed by Sea Moon on 31 August, 2009 - 11:53am
Last updated 20 February, 2013 - 6:08pm

Moved
Moved from Machilinae.

Sorry for the (inadvertent) double move.
… Ken Wolgemuth, 20 February, 2013 - 6:08pm

Moved
Moved from Bristletails.
… Ken Wolgemuth, 20 February, 2013 - 6:07pm

Machilinae
Machilinae based on the scaled antennae. The only Machilinae known from this area is Trigoniophthalmus alternatus.
… Matthew Bowser, 21 November, 2012 - 1:19pm

Moved
Moved from ID Request.
… v belov, 21 September, 2009 - 10:46pm

It's a bristletail.
I just love these guys--I think they hop by flicking their abdomen. More information here.
… Domingo Zungri, 31 August, 2009 - 3:00pm

Disclaimer: Dedicated naturalists volunteer their time and resources here to provide this service. We strive to provide accurate information, but we are mostly just amateurs attempting to make sense of a diverse natural world. If you need expert professional advice, contact your local extension office.

Contributors own the copyright to and are solely responsible for contributed content.
Click the contributor's name for licensing and usage information.
Everything else copyright © 2003-2025 Iowa State University, unless otherwise noted.

Bugguide is hosted by:

Plant Pathology, Entomology and Microbiology at Iowa State University logo