The Primitive Proturans

The proturans—blind, wingless minute bugs found under bark and in leaf litter—are earth’s most primitive insects. They are seldom seen and when they are noticed are likely to be mistaken for larvae of some other insect. So obscure are the creatures that they were not discovered until early in the present century. They are about a twentieth of an inch long, yellowish, and covered with a protective shell of chitin. Sluggish and slow-moving proturans have three pairs of legs, only two of which are used for locomotion. The front pair is held up in front of the insect as it moves. These legs apparently serve the purpose of the antennae found in all higher insect orders. They are provided with primitive sense organs of touch. These little creatures presumably represent one of the earliest stages in insect evolution.