The Entomobryomorpha are one of the three main groups ( order) of

springtail Springtails (Collembola) form the largest of the three lineages of modern hexapods that are no longer considered insects (the other two are the Protura and Diplura). Although the three orders are sometimes grouped together in a class called Ento ...

s (Collembola), tiny hexapods related to

insect Insects (from Latin ') are pancrustacean hexapod invertebrates of the class Insecta. They are the largest group within the arthropod phylum. Insects have a chitinous exoskeleton, a three-part body ( head, thorax and abdomen), three ...

s. This group was formerly treated as a superfamily, the Entomobryoidea. They can be best distinguished from the other springtail groups by their body shape. The Symphypleona are very round animals, almost

spherical A sphere () is a geometrical object that is a three-dimensional analogue to a two-dimensional circle. A sphere is the set of points that are all at the same distance from a given point in three-dimensional space.. That given point is the ce ...

. The

Poduromorpha The order Poduromorpha is one of the three main groups of springtails (Collembola), tiny hexapods related to insects. This group was formerly treated as a superfamily Poduroidea. They can be best distinguished from the other springtail group ...

are also very plump but have a more oval shape. The Entomobryomorpha, by contrast, contain the slimmest springtails. They either have short legs and antennae, but their long bodies set them apart, or long legs and antennae, as well as well-developed

furcula The (Latin for "little fork") or wishbone is a forked bone found in most birds and some species of non-avian dinosaurs, and is formed by the fusion of the two pink clavicles. In birds, its primary function is in the strengthening of the thoracic ...

e; these are the most characteristic members of the order.

Systematics

The Entomobryomorpha were, as Entomobryoidea, united with the

(then called Poduroidea) in a group called "Arthropleona", but this has more recently turned out to be paraphyletic. Actually, the Entomobryomorpha, the Poduromorpha, and the third springtaill lineage – the Symphypleona – are equally distinct from each other. Their treatment at equal

taxonomic rank In biological classification, taxonomic rank is the relative level of a group of organisms (a taxon) in an ancestral or hereditary hierarchy. A common system consists of species, genus, family, order, class, phylum, kingdom, domain. While ...

reflects this. Their rank has also varied a bit. When the springtails were still believed to be an order of insects, the "Arthropleona" and the Symphypleona were treated as suborders.

List of families

The superfamilies and

families Family (from la, familia) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its members and of society. Ideal ...

are arranged in the presumed

evolution Evolution is change in the heritable characteristics of biological populations over successive generations. These characteristics are the expressions of genes, which are passed on from parent to offspring during reproduction. Variation ...

ary sequence. The list presented here follows a 2008 review of the Entomobryomorpha. The review abolishes the former "Actaletoidea", which is apparently paraphyletic; its namesake family is now placed in the Isotomoidea, while the Coenaletidae form a new

monotypic In biology, a monotypic taxon is a taxonomic group (taxon) that contains only one immediately subordinate taxon. A monotypic species is one that does not include subspecies or smaller, infraspecific taxa. In the case of genera, the term "unispe ...

superfamily. The former Cyphoderidae are demoted to a subfamily of the Paronellidae. Superfamily Isotomoidea * Family Isotomidae * Family Actaletidae * Family Protentomobryidae (

fossil A fossil (from Classical Latin , ) is any preserved remains, impression, or trace of any once-living thing from a past geological age. Examples include bones, shells, exoskeletons, stone imprints of animals or microbes, objects preserved ...

) Superfamily Coenaletoidea * Family Coenaletidae Superfamily Tomoceroidea * Family Oncopoduridae * Family Tomoceridae Superfamily Entomobryoidea * Family Paronellidae – includes Cyphoderidae * Family

Entomobryidae Entomobryidae, sometimes called "slender springtails", is a family of springtails characterised by having an enlarged fourth abdominal segment and a well-developed furcula. Species in this family may be heavily scaled and can be very colourful ...

* Family Microfalculidae * Family Oncobryidae (fossil) * Family Praentomobryidae (fossil)

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q1045208 Arthropod orders

Systematics

List of families

See also

References