Thysanura
Thysanura An order of medium-sized wingless insects traditionally placed in the subclass Apterygota and comprising the bristletails and silverfish. These typically have slender bodies with long threadlike antenna and a segmented tail-like extension to the abdomen bordered on either side by the elongated paired cerci. The 350 or so species of bristletails are mostly nocturnal, feeding on algae, lichens, and other plant material and sheltering in litter or beneath bark during the day. They can spring some distance by arching the thorax and flexing the abdomen. The other major group includes the silverfish and firebrats, which comprise about 370 species. These are mostly detritivores living in litter or under bark, although some species are found in deserts and others are familiar inhabitants of human dwellings. These domestic species feed on food debris, paper, cotton, and similar materials. Some authorities now place the bristletails in a separate order, the Archaeognatha.
More From encyclopedia.com
NEARBY TERMS
Thysanura
