Zoraptera
| Zoraptera Temporal range: | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Zorapteran observed in Los Bancos, Pichincha, Ecuador | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Clade: | Pancrustacea |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Subclass: | Pterygota |
| Infraclass: | Neoptera |
| Cohort: | Polyneoptera |
| Order: | Zoraptera Silvestri, 1913 |
| Families | |
| Diversity | |
| 51 species | |
Zoraptera is an order of insects, sometimes called angel insects or ground lice. They are small and soft bodied insects with two forms: winged with wings sheddable as in termites, dark and with eyes (compound) and ocelli (simple); or wingless, pale and without eyes or ocelli. They have a characteristic nine-segmented beaded (moniliform) antenna. Their mouthparts are adapted for chewing and are mostly found under bark, in dry wood or in leaf litter, where they largely feed on fungus and detritus. The order is found on most continents, but are absent in places like Canada, New Zealand, Australia and Europe.