Protura
Guides
Acerentomidae
coneheads
Acerentomidae is a family of minute, wingless, eyeless soil-dwelling hexapods in the order Protura. Members lack tracheae and rely on cuticular gas exchange for respiration. The family exhibits exceptional diversity in the northeastern Palearctic, with 31 species documented from Siberia and the Russian Far East, and 19 species in 13 genera in Arctic regions alone. Arctic species typically possess more setae than temperate relatives and show high endemism with restricted distributions.
Chrysops cincticornis
Ring-clawed Deer Fly
Chrysops cincticornis is a deer fly in the family Tabanidae, first described by Walker in 1848. It is commonly known as the Ring-clawed Deer Fly. The species has been documented in Vermont and other parts of the United States, with 291 observations recorded on iNaturalist. Research on this species has focused on its oviposition behavior and fecundity, with laboratory studies showing females deposit eggs in gelatinous masses on mud substrates near water, averaging 156 eggs per female.
deer-flyTabanidaeDipteramedical-entomologyovipositionfecundityring-clawed-deer-flyVermontUnited-Statesmud-substrategelatinous-egg-massChrysopsinaeChrysopsiniWalker-1848iNaturalistlaboratory-rearingegg-mass156-eggsrange-42-312near-watermud-like-substrateegg-depositionreproductionbehavioral-studymedical-entomology-researchinsect-vectorsbiting-fliestabanid-flieshorse-fliesdeer-fliesChrysopsNorth-AmericaNew-Englandobservation-recordssynonym-status-in-Catalogue-of-Lifeaccepted-status-in-GBIFarthropodinsectflyBrachyceraTabanomorphaHexapodaPterygotaAnimaliaArthropodaInsectacincticornisChrysops-cincticornis-Walker-1848Chrysops-(Chrysops)-cincticornisdeerflyhorseflytabanidbiting-flyvectoroviposition-behaviorfecundity-studyJournal-of-Medical-Entomology198210.1093/jmedent/19.5.597gelatinous-secretionmudwaterlaboratory-conditionsmean-fecundityegg-productionreproductive-biologyentomologyinsect-behaviorinsect-reproductiondipterantrue-flytwo-winged-flynematoceranCyclorrhaphaAschizaSchizophoraAcalyptrataeCalyptrataeOestroideaMuscoideaHippoboscoideaGlossinidaeCalliphoridaeSarcophagidaeMuscidaeFanniidaeAnthomyiidaeScathophagidaeOestridaeTachinidaeSiphonapteraPhthirapteraHemipteraColeopteraLepidopteraHymenopteraNeuropteraMegalopteraRaphidiopteraTrichopteraStrepsipteraMecopteraDipluraProturaCollembolaZygentomaArchaeognathaEphemeropteraOdonataPlecopteraGrylloblattodeaMantophasmatodeaPhasmatodeaOrthopteraDermapteraEmbiopteraZorapteraIsopteraBlattodeaMantodeaPhyllodocidaNotopteraWalker1848speciestaxongelatinoushabitatdistributionGBIFCatalogue-of-LifeNCBIlaboratory-studybehaviorlife-cyclesubstratemud-likemeanrange42-312femaleobservationrecordspecimencollectionmuseumresearchstudyarticleabstractDOIbiologyecologyhorse-flyacceptedsynonymtaxonomyclassificationUS291-observationslaboratory291-iNaturalist-observationsGBIF-distribution-recordsaccepted-species-statussynonym-in-Catalogue-of-Life156-eggs-mean-fecundityrange-42-312-eggs1982-Journal-of-Medical-Entomology-publicationDOI-10.1093/jmedent/19.5.597entomology-researchdipteran-biologyHesperentomon
Hesperentomon is a genus of minute, soil-dwelling proturans established by Price in 1960. The genus comprises at least 14 described species distributed primarily across Asia, including China, Japan, and Central Asian regions. As members of the family Hesperentomidae, these hexapods lack eyes and antennae, and possess unique abdominal appendages characteristic of the class Protura. Most species have been described since the 1980s, reflecting ongoing taxonomic work on this understudied group.
Hesperentomon macswaini
Hesperentomon macswaini is a species of proturan described by Price in 1960. Proturans are minute, wingless hexapods that inhabit soil and leaf litter environments. This species belongs to the family Hesperentomidae and has been documented from North America. Like other proturans, it likely lives in concealed soil habitats and feeds on fungal hyphae and decaying organic matter, though specific biological details for this species remain poorly documented.
Styletoentomon
Styletoentomon is a genus of minute, soil-dwelling proturans in the family Eosentomidae. The genus was established by Copeland in 1978 and contains two described species: S. rostratum and S. styletum. Proturans in this genus lack antennae and eyes, and possess distinctive mouthparts adapted for feeding on fungal hyphae and decaying organic matter in soil and leaf litter habitats.