CHAPTER IX 

 ORDER ZORAPTERA* 



So little is known regarding the insects of this order, only a single 

 genus having been found, that it would be premature at this time 

 to define definitely the characters of the order. This is well shown 

 by the fact that recent discoveries have greatly modified our views 

 regarding the ordinal characters of these insects. 



This order was established by Silvestri in i g 13 . At that time only 

 wingless individuals were known; and it was supposed by this author 

 that the wingless condition was a distinctive ordinal character; he, 

 therefore, proposed the name Zoraptera for the order. But recently 

 Caudell ('20) has described winged individuals of each of the two 

 species fotmd in this country. The name Zoraptera, however, must 

 be retained even though it is inappropriate. 



Family ZOROTYPIDiE 



The single known genus, Zorotypus, is the type of this family and 

 imtil other genera are found the characters of this genus must be 

 taken as those of this family and of the order Zoraptera as well. 



At the time this is written, only six species of Zorotypus have been 

 described. These have been found in widely separated parts of the 

 world, one each in Africa, Ceylon, Java, and Costa Rica, and two in 

 Florida. One of the species from Florida has been found also in Texas. 



The knowTi species are all minute, the largest measuring only 2.5 

 mm. in length. In our two species both wingless and winged adults 

 have been foimd ; and it is probable that these two forms exist in the 

 other species. The winged adults that have been observed are all 

 females; but it would not be wise to conclude that only this sex is 

 winged. Of the wingless form both male and female have been found. 

 As these are social insects, living in colonies of various sizes, it may 

 be that the wingless and the winged adults represent distinct castes, 

 analogous to the castes of termites. Another similarity to termites 

 is that the winged individuals shed their wings as do the winged 

 termites. 



The wingless adults (Figure 309, 4) resemble in general appear- 

 ance small worker termites ; but they have longer legs and are more 

 active. The legs are formed for running; the tarsi are two-jointed 

 and each bears two claws. The mandibles are strong. The antennae 

 are moniliform and nine-jointed. Compound eyes and ocelli are 

 wanting. The cerci are short, fleshy, and unsegmented. 



The winged adult female (Fig. 309, i) has large compound eyes, 

 three ocelli, nine-jointed antennae, and two pairs of wings. The vena- 



*Zoraptera: zoros {suphs), pure; apterous (dTrrepos), without wings. 



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