Order of very small wingless six-legged insects. They are 0.6–2 mm/0.02–0.08 in long with piercing mouthparts, partially withdrawn into the head, and without antennae. There is no common name. They live in moist soil, peat, deciduous woodland litter, and under stones. Some 200 species have been described.

Classification
Protura is in phylum Arthropoda.

The Protura show some characters that make their present identification as insects a matter of controversy, hence some authorities regard them as a distinct class of Arthropoda, the Myrientomata.