Bizarre insect

[Andeh]

I've seen this insect on two occasions, months appart. I've been searching for months, and have been unable to identify it. It looks to be a member of protura: twelve segmented hexopods that are classified as insects, but evolutionarily are an intermediate stage between hexopod and isopod. However, it bears no resemblance to any more common protura. Protura are soft-bodied, small creatures that live a few inches underground. This creature, was slightly over a centimeter, hard-bodied, and in both cases were seen on the trunks of beech trees. Likewise, it's anatomy is completely different than that of protura. It's legs had one less segment than protura and are attached to it's body differently, for one thing. And it's head was completely different. It's head was a soft, fleshy appendage that it could pull into it's front-most segment through a small hole (in fact, the first time I mistook the front-segment for the head, since the first specemin was dead, with the soft tissue decomposed). It should also be noted that I'm fairly certain that it is not a larvea of some ordinary insect (they often have more than 3 segments), since the first one was found to have died mid-molt.

 

I'm not hoping anyone can identify it, im just posting because its so interesting. It's legs appear more primitive than other protura's, having one less segment...and yet, it's head is so complex and bizarre. It's ancestry with other protura, perhaps, is only distant. Therefor, it retains more primitive (?) legs, but has evolved a unique head.

 

 

[Moontanman]

Some pictures would be nice....

[Andeh]

I have pictures, it might be a while though with my spastic technology.