| Machilidae sp. (Grassi, 1888) |
|
|
|
Scientific name: Machilidae sp. (Grassi, 1888) Common name: Other names: One other name for the order is Archaeognatha. It is commonly used though the official name is Microcoryphia. French name: Order: Microcoryphia Family: Machilidae Wingspan : 6 to 25 mm. Biotope: Rocks, litter, places with algae or lichens. Geographic area: Northern hemisphere. Observation period : |
Insects of the Microcoryphia or Archaeognatha order are wingless primitive insects with an elongated and arched body (thorax is arched dorsally). The body ends with two long cerci generally located on each side of a longer paracerci. The prothorax located at the front is shorter than the following mesothorax. There are two large touching eyes at the front of the head with three ocelli below. Two long thin and flexible antennae insert below the eyes. For information only, the insects of the neighbour order Zygentoma, to which silverfishes (Lepisma saccharina) belong, have a prothorax longer than the mesothorax, letting the head better appear. The eyes are small (or missing) and located on the lateral sides of the head. There are no ocelli and the antennae insert at the eye level. Members of the Machilidae family shows scale at the base of legs and antennae on the contrary of members of the Meinertellidae family. |
| [To know more about the Machilidae sp.] [Next picture] [Top] |
|
I have observed this insect inside the house, on the ground. The Microcoryphia order and the Machilidae family can be easily confirmed based on the overall habitus, the respective size of the first thoracic segments, the size and location of the eyes and the presence of scales over all the body. I have first thought to the Dilta genus as we can see one rounded ocellus on the lateral side, just below the eye, and this is one criteria to tell this genus apart. However it seems to me that the antennae are rather long for an insect of this genus. So I have just listed this one as Machilidae sp. |
| [To know more about the Machilidae sp.] [Next picture] [Previous picture] [Top] |
|
Here is one front view but the point of view is too high to have a good evaluation of the shape of the ocelli. This is one criteria to tell genera apart. |
| [To know more about the Machilidae sp.] [Previous picture] [Top] |
|
This other specimen, also observed inside the house, clearly shows shorter antennae. However the ocelli are not clearly visible and so we will stay at the family level. |
André Bon July 2017