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Zoraptera
Also known as zorapterans, angel insects, zorapteran, angel insect
The insect order Zoraptera, commonly known as angel insects and sometimes ground lice, contains small and soft bodied insects with two forms: winged with wings sheddable as in termites, dark and with eyes (compound) and ocelli (simple); or wingless, pale and without eyes or ocelli. They have a characteristic nine-segmented beaded (moniliform) antenna. Their mouthparts are adapted for chewing and are mostly found under bark, in dry wood or in leaf litter. The order is found on most continents, but are absent in places like Canada, New Zealand, Australia and Europe. left|thumb|Winged fossil of Z
Species
ORDER
- KingdomAnimalia
- PhylumArthropoda
- ClassInsecta
- OrderZoraptera
Angel Flies have one family (Zorotypidae) and one genus (Zorotypus).They are polymorphic, but have similar off-white to brown coloration. They are about three millimeters long. They have short antennae, short cerci, and two-segmented tarsi. They feed primarily on fungus spores.At times they can be scavengers or hunters, feeding on small arthropods, nematodes, or mites.Some species have membranous wings and most do not.The winged species will shed their wings as adults.They can be found in colonies of 15-120 in rotten logs and underneath bark.They prefer dark habitats and are nearly blind.When their habitat is disturbed, they quickly scatter and hide.They are abundant in their specific habitats and are rarely found elsewhere.Three species can be found in the United States.They are seen in the fossil record as far back as the early Cretaceous.They preferred tropical weather in the early Cretaceous and all species but four live in tropical climates now.
via GBIF
Article
11 sectionsContents
- Description
- Systematics
- Phylogeny
- Classification
- Incertae sedis
- Extinct taxa
- Behavior and ecology
- Effects on ecosystem
- References
- General references
- External links
The insect order Zoraptera, commonly known as angel insects and sometimes ground lice, contains small and soft bodied insects with two forms: winged with wings sheddable as in termites, dark and with eyes (compound) and ocelli (simple); or wingless, pale and without eyes or ocelli. They have a characteristic nine-segmented beaded (moniliform) antenna. Their mouthparts are adapted for chewing and are mostly found under bark, in dry wood or in leaf litter. The order is found on most continents, but are absent in places like Canada, New Zealand, Australia and Europe. left|thumb|Winged fossil of Zorotypus hirsutus from the Late Cretaceous ([[Cenomanian) aged Burmese amber, around 99 million years old]]
== Description == left|thumb|Zorotypus sp. The name Zoraptera, given by Filippo Silvestri in 1913, is misnamed and potentially misleading: "zor" is Greek for pure and "aptera" means wingless. "Pure wingless" clearly does not fit the winged alate forms, which were discovered several years after the wingless forms had been described.