Primitive Wingless Insects (Apterygota)

These tiny insects are of little interest to naturalists and the number of species occurring in the UAE is not great. The order Thysanura includes several species of bristletails including, Lepisma saccharina (Linnaeus) and Ctenolepisma ciliata (Dufour) and the Firebrat [Thermobia domestica (Packard)]. Some of which have become cosmopolitan and are minor household pests, but in the UAE they appear to be native and are found outdoors even in remote areas. Springtails (Collombola ) from the UAE have been little studied, but several minute species occur in permanently damp areas in oases and in the mountains.