hey, you do bristletails yet? Specifically bristletails, not silverfish or firebrats?
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Did you know that Petrobius Brevistylis is a species of jumping bristletail found across much of the northern hemisphere? They live on rocky coasts, just above the tide line. Because of its primitive lineage and presence on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean, this species has been used to help scientists understand early insect evolution.
Anatomy: elongated bodies with humped backs over the thorax; body is compressed laterally (from side to side); flexible antennae; two large compound eyes which meet at the top of the head and three smaller ocelli; partly retractable chewing mouthparts; abdomen ends in three long tail-like structures, of which the medial filament, the longest, is an epiproct, while the shorter lateral two are cerci; the body is covered in easily detachable scales, making the animal difficult for predators to keep hold of; no wings
Habitat: worldwide, except in very cold or very dry regions; most species live in moist soil, others have adapted to chaparral, and even sandy deserts
Evolved in: Middle Devonian
(source)
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Archaeognatha is one of the most primitive orders of insects, and one of the first insect orders to evolve. Nevertheless, they have changed very little since the Devonian, making them “living fossils”.
The mating habits of bristletails are varied. In some species, the male simply leaves sperm on the ground, attached to threads of silk, in hopes that a female will come along and find it and use it. In some, a courtship ritual involves a male leading the female to the sperm. In the genus Petrobius, direct fertilization takes place, with the male placing the sperm directly on the female’s ovipositor. Follow bestanimal for more Bug Sex Facts.
Young bristletails resemble the adults (ametabolism), but can take up to two years to reach sexual maturity. Unlike most other insects, the adults continue to moult even after reaching adulthood. Archaeognaths may have a total lifespan of up to four years, longer than most larger insects.
There are no aquatic bristletails, but some species which live near the shoreline, such as Parapetrobius and Petrobius, are able to swim.
the palest Dilta i've ever seen did me the courtesy of showing up on a relatively sunny day (by january standards) so i could see its scales are just as iridescent as its darker cousins'. go white boy go
Bristletails from the genus Petrobius. You can find them scuttling about near crevices on coastal cliffs and rocks.
They remind me a bit of the ohmu from Nausicaä. <3
