Evening star., 1952-07-09
Proturons Are Earth S
Most Primitive Insects
(. Blind, WingIess Creatures
Found in Bark. Leaf Mold
By Thomos R. Henry

Earth's most primitive insects are the
proturans.
They are blind, wingless, minute crea-
lures found under bark and in leaf litter.
Presumably they are quite similar to the
first creatures to appear on earth Of
type Of animal which, it has been said.
may succeed man in dominion over this
planet.
One of the few known species has Just
been described by Miss Grace Glance.
Smithsonian Institution entomologist. It
is the second known from the entire
continent Of South America.
Proturans are seldom seen. When
they are observed they usually are mis-
taken for larvae of some other insect.
This probably is why so few are known
to science, although actually there may
be many varieties scattered over the
world.
About Millimeter Long.
The new animal is about a millimeter
long. dark yellow, and covered with a
protective shell of chitin. ..
All proturanS, according to the Smith
sonian report, are sluggish and slow
moving. They have three pairs of legs,
but only two pair are used for locomo-
tion. The front pair is held up in front
OF the insect as 1t moves. These legs
apparently serve the same purpose as
the antennae found in all higher insect
orders, and they are provided with prim-
1tive sense organs of touch. Living their
lives in darkness, the little creatures
have no use for eyes.
The insect race presumably is de-
scended from crustacean-like ancestors
which came out Of the sea about ESQ.,
100000 years ago. They had been pre-
ceded in the great migration by verte-,
brateS but their evolution has been much
more diverse.
The protura cannot necessarily be
considered as ancestral survivors, al
though they probably represent one Of
the stages Of the insect race in adapting
itself to the new and strange terrestrial
environment. There is always the pos
sibility that they are reversions to type
rather than survivors of type through
which the race passed.
4
A new tool has been put in the hands
of the prospector -photogeology.
Largely development out of the last
war, it already has brought about no.
table discoveries. The most important of
these were vast iron ore deposits in Ven-
ezuela last year.
Actually. according to the American
Geological Institute, branch of the Ma
tional Research Council, the concept of
geological Interpretation of air photos is
about 80 years old but was hardly prac-
tical before Interpretation methods were
developed by British intelligence early in
the war. ....-
"Our own intelligence groups studied
the British methods" says the an
nouncement, land established Air Force
and Navy Photographic Interpretation
training schools. Many Of them realized
the opportunity for applying the
techniques Of military Interpretation to
geologic study of air photographs and
since the end of the war steady gains
have been made.
Several Advantages.
"The technique offers several out
standing advantages over conventional
field methods. There are many features
visible on photographs which cannot
be recognized In the field because of
difference of scale or confusion Of detail.
Inaccessible areas can be studied on
photographs when they. might other
wise be neglected for years.
I'm the discovery of the Venezuelan
iron ore deposits many mountainous
areas were evaluated and the most
likely selected for ground study! Recon-
naissance geological maps for areas
several thousand square miles in size
can be prepared in few months time.
MAPS prepared from air photographs
contain wealth of faithfully repro
duced detail which cannot be mapped
in the field. Photogeology is new field,
but already a proven one."