What are Entognathans?
Entognathans, members of class Entognatha, are a group of hexapod (six-legged) arthropod animals closely related to insects, but generally more primitive and basal (split off earlier) than insects. Entognathans include three orders: Collembola (springtails, with over 6000 species), Diplura (800 species), and Protura (sometimes called “coneheads”, with 731 species). Entognathans are thought to have evolved their six-legged form of locomotion independently of insects and each other. Despite being put in the same class, entognathans are probably not monophyletic (descended from a common ancestor). Further updates may abolish the class entirely. Entognathans are interesting and important because of their great abundance, small size, basal position among living arthropods, our poor understanding of their phylogeny, and the ability of some entognathans (springtails) to inhabit extreme environments such as the Antarctic peninsula, where they are among the only native animals. Entognathans, wh
