section_path: Phylogeny and evolution/External phylogeny
section_name: External phylogeny
paragraph_text: External phylogeny
  
  Insects form a clade, a natural group with a common ancestor, among the arthropods. A phylogenetic analysis by Kjer et al. (2016) places the insects among the Hexapoda, six-legged animals with segmented bodies; their closest relatives are the Diplura (bristletails).