Proturan - (Acerentomon sp.)

Proturans are hexapods that are very rarely seen or looked for, but they are part of the insect food web.

Staff Writer (1/28/2014): The microscopic Proturans are 6-legged creatures that live in soil. They are shorter than a typed-out exclamation mark! Hundreds of them can live in a cup of good earth in the woods, in crop fields and in backyards. They are virtually blind and sense their surroundings by touch and taste. They scrape off bits of fungi and plant roots into their small mouths. Some species breathe through their exoskeletons, others have a trachea (windpipe). Larvae are even smaller than adults and grow a few segments as they mature.

As you can imagine, photos of them are difficult to take as they require intense magnification (via microscope) in order to see any detail in their physiology.

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Details of the:
Proturan

Category: Proturan
Common name: Proturan
Scientific Name: Acerentomon sp.

Taxonomy:

Kingdom: Animalia

Phylum: Subphylum Hexapoda

Class: Insecta

Order: Protura

Family: Acerentomidae

Genus: Acerentomon

Species: sp.

Size (Adult, Length): 1mm to 2mm (0.04in to 0.08in)

Identifying Colors: yellow, brown, red

Additional Descriptors: microscopic, segmented

North American Reach (Though Not Limited To*): Alabama; Alaska; Arizona; Arkansas; California; Colorado; Connecticut; Delaware; Florida; Georgia; Hawaii; Idaho; Illinois; Indiana; Iowa; Kansas; Kentucky; Louisiana; Maine; Maryland; Massachusetts; Michigan; Minnesota; Mississippi; Missouri; Montana; Nebraska; Nevada; New Hampshire; New Jersey; New Mexico; New York; North Carolina; North Dakota; Ohio; Oklahoma; Oregon; Pennsylvania; Rhode Island; South Carolina; South Dakota; Tennessee; Texas; Utah; Vermont; Virginia; Washington; West Virginia; Wisconsin; Wyoming; Alberta; British Columbia; Manitoba; New Brunswick; Newfoundland and Labrador; Nova Scotia; Ontario; Prince Edward Island; Quebec; Saskatchewan; Mexico

* Keep in mind that an insect's reach is not limited by lines on a map and therefore may appear in areas/regions/states beyond those listed above.

BUGFINDER: What Kind of Bug is This...

BUGFINDER allows for a quick search of the Insect Identification database by selecting primary color, secondary color, number of legs and the territory / state in question. If only one color is present on your insect, select it again as its SECONDARY color. Remember that the more details you can offer, the better your chances of finding a match. As a rule of thumb, six legs are typical for most insects whereas spiders generally have eight legs.

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