Japygidae

Definition

A family of hexapods in the order Diplura, commonly known as forcepstails, characterized by well-developed, pincer-like cerci at the abdomen tip. Japygids are elongate, eyeless, soil-dwelling entognathans that use their forceps-shaped appendages to capture prey and for defense. The family represents one of the major lineages within Diplura, distinguished from the Campodeidae (two-pronged bristletails) by the form of the cerci and other somatic features.

Etymology

From the type genus Japyx (classical Greek name for an insect) + -idae (family suffix)

Example

Japygidae are frequently encountered in deep soil and leaf-litter samples from temperate forests, where species such as those in the subfamily Japyginae function as small predators on nematodes and other microarthropods.

Synonyms

• forcepstails (vernacular, applies to members of this family)

Related Terms

• Diplura
• Campodeidae
• Entognatha
• Cerci
• hexapod
• soil fauna
• microarthropod

Usage Notes

The common name 'forcepstails' applies specifically to Japygidae and should not be used for Campodeidae (two-pronged bristletails), which have thread-like rather than pincer-like cerci. Japygidae is sometimes treated as the sole family in the superfamily Japygoidea. The family includes several subfamilies (Japyginae, Gigasjapyginae, etc.) with primarily tropical and subtropical distributions.