Cryptic-insects
Guides
Bryocorini
Bryocorini is a tribe of plant bugs within the subfamily Bryocorinae of the family Miridae. Members are generally small, delicate mirids associated with mosses, liverworts, and other cryptogamic vegetation. The tribe is distinguished by morphological adaptations for life in moist, shaded microhabitats. Bryocorini represents one of the more specialized radiations within the Bryocorinae, with species often exhibiting reduced wings or brachyptery.
Corixidea
jumping soil bugs
Corixidea is a genus of small true bugs in the family Schizopteridae, commonly referred to as jumping soil bugs. The genus was established by Reuter in 1891 and contains at least three described species: C. crassa, C. lunigera, and C. major. These insects belong to the infraorder Dipsocoromorpha, a group of minute predatory or cryptozoic bugs associated with soil and leaf litter habitats. The genus is characterized by adaptations for jumping locomotion, though specific morphological details remain poorly documented in accessible literature.
Embiidina
webspinners, footspinners
Embiidina is a small order of cryptic, soft-bodied insects known as webspinners or footspinners, characterized by their unique ability to produce silk from specialized glands located in their swollen foretarsi. They construct extensive silk galleries or tunnels under bark, in leaf litter, or within soil crevices, which serve as protective shelters and foraging sites. The order exhibits pronounced sexual dimorphism: females are wingless and neotenic, remaining in galleries throughout their lives, while males of most species develop wings and disperse to locate mates. Webspinners are primarily tropical in distribution and display facultatively communal behavior with maternal care of eggs and young.
Nannocoris
Nannocoris is a genus of minute true bugs in the family Schizopteridae, first described by Reuter in 1891. These insects belong to the infraorder Dipsocoromorpha, a group of small, often overlooked predatory or mycophagous bugs. Members of this genus are characterized by their diminutive size and cryptic habits. The genus is poorly documented in scientific literature, with limited species-level descriptions and biological data available.
Zoraptera
angel insects, ground lice
Zoraptera is a small insect order containing approximately 30–51 extant species across two families (Zorotypidae and Spiralizoridae). These tiny insects exhibit remarkable wing dimorphism: most individuals are wingless, pale, and eyeless, while a minority develop as dark, winged alates with compound eyes and ocelli that can shed their wings at a basal fracture line. They inhabit tropical and subtropical forests worldwide, living cryptically under bark, in rotting wood, or in leaf litter. Their phylogenetic position remains debated, with morphological evidence linking them to Embioptera and molecular data suggesting affinity with Dictyoptera or Dermaptera.
Zorotypidae
Angel Insects
Zorotypidae is the sole extant family of the insect order Zoraptera, commonly called angel insects. The family contains one extant genus, Zorotypus, with approximately 39 described living species and 9 extinct species known from amber deposits. These minute, soft-bodied insects exhibit a striking polymorphism: winged individuals possess dark coloration, compound eyes, ocelli, and sheddable wings similar to termites, while wingless individuals are pale, lack eyes and ocelli, and are generally more common. The family has a sparse but widespread distribution across tropical and subtropical regions.
Zorotypus
angel insects
Zorotypus is the sole extant genus of the order Zoraptera, commonly called angel insects. The genus contains approximately 39 extant species distributed primarily in tropical and subtropical regions worldwide, with four species occurring north of the Tropic of Cancer. Species exhibit two distinct morphs: winged individuals with compound eyes, ocelli, and dark pigmentation that can shed their wings; and wingless, pale individuals lacking eyes and ocelli. The genus has an extensive fossil record, with numerous species described from Cretaceous and Miocene amber deposits.