Superkingdom Eukaryota
Kingdom Animalia
Phylum Arthropoda
Superclass Hexapoda
Class Entognatha
Order Archaeognatha
Common name: Bristletails
Description: Medium in size, wingless, with a humped thorax, hypognathous mouthparts, large compound eyes in near-contact, some abdominal segments with paired styles and vesicles, with three "tails" - paired cerci shorter than single median caudal appendage; the immature insect resembles a small adult.
Fun facts: There are some 350 species in two existing families. Their bodies are elongate and cylindrical. They have indirect fertilization. Bristletails are often nocturnal, feeding on litter, detritus, algae, lichens and mosses, and sheltering beneath bark or litter during the day. They can run fast (for their size, of course) and jump, using the arched thorax and flexed abdomen to spring considerable distances.
sourced, in part, by The Insects: An outline of entomology, second ed. Gullan, P.J. and P.S. Cranston. Blackwell Science, Great Britain, 2000.