Machilida

Machilida
Temporal range:
Hypomachilodes forthaysi
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Archaeognatha
Suborder: Machilida
Zhang et al., 2018
Families

Machilida is a suborder of bristletails found on all continents except Antarctica.

Taxonomy and systematics

The suborder Machilida was formally proposed in a 2018 phylogenetic study by Zhang et al. based on analyses of morphological and molecular data.[1] The study resolved the long-standing phylogenetic relationships within Archaeognatha, recovering Monura (which contains only the extinct family Dasyleptidae) as the sister group to Machilida. The study confirmed the monophyly of Meinertellidae but suggested that the family Machilidae, as traditionally defined, might be paraphyletic with respect to certain "paleo-type" genera.[1]

Fossil evidence from Cretaceous amber (e.g., in Myanmar and Lebanon) indicates that the divergence between the two families is ancient, likely predating the Cretaceous, and suggests a possible Gondwanan origin for Meinertellidae.[1]

Distribution and habitat

The two families within Machilida have contrasting modern distributions. Machilidae are predominantly found in the Northern Hemisphere, while Meinertellidae are largely distributed across much of the world.[2][3]

References

  1. ^ a b c Zhang, Wei-Ting; Li, Hu; Shih, Chungkun; Zhang, Aibing; Ren, Dong (2018). "Phylogenetic analyses with four new Cretaceous bristletails reveal inter-relationships of Archaeognatha and Gondwana origin of Meinertellidae". Cladistics. 34 (4): 384–406. doi:10.1111/cla.12212. PMID 34649368.
  2. ^ "Machilidae". GBIF. Retrieved 2026-01-01.
  3. ^ "Meinertellidae". GBIF. Retrieved 2026-01-01.
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