Shi Bing Insect Classification

Microcoryphia, commonly known as bristletails, is an order of insects belonging to Hexapoda. In 1990, it was reported totally 65 genera and 255 species on the world, but in 2000 the number of known species raised to 493. So far the bristletails in China are a group not well studied, with only 1 family, 9 genera and 18 species reported. The first report of Chinese Microcoryphia was made by an Italian entomologist F. Silvestri in 1906. Lately, he had published a series of four papers (1934, 1936, 1943) dealing with 10 species. In 1965 Japanese entomologist Uchida reported 2 species in his paper. As for Chinese entomologists, only in 1991 Yin and Xue first reported two new species from China. From then on there were no further reports published.General morphological characters and the known species of Chinese bristletails with their distributions in China are mentioned in this paper. The keys to Chinese genera and subgenera of Microcoryphia are listed. We also describe general morphological characters in detail such as compound eyes, paired ocelli, frons, mandible, anternnal flagellum, thorax, coxal stylets, spiniform setae of legs, fore leg of male, number of eversible abdominal vesicles, urosternites, paramera, penis opening, male genitalia and ovipositor.All species dealing with in present paper were collected from Liaoning, Zhejiang, Jiangsu, Anhui and Henan provinces. Pedetontus (Verhoeffilis) Zhejiangensis, Pedetontinus tianmuensis and Coreamachilis coreanus (new record from China) are redescribed in the text including three new species and one new subgenus.