Webspinners (Embiidina)

Embiidina is the oldest name for a peculiar order of semi-social, largely tropical insects later named Embiodea, Embioptera, or Embiaria. They also are known as foot-spinners and embiids. With less than 500 named species, it is regarded as a small order, but worldwide collecting indicates that it is moderately large, potentially with about 2,000 species. Because embiids tend to remain in their self-produced silk galleries, they rarely are collected by usual methods except for males attracted to lights (Fig. 20). One must search for the often-obscure colonies and rear series, especially males, in laboratory cultures.

Webspinners (Embiidina), Figure 20

Typical alate male embiid, Oligotoma saundersii (Westwood) (Oligotomidae), body length 10 mm.