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Order
- EMBIOPTERA
(Greek, embio = lively; pteron = wing)
Common Names: web-spinners, foot-spinners
Distribution:
Tropics and warm temperate
regions
Description
Superficially, embiopterans or web-spinners resemble termites. However,
web-spinners do not utilise solid wood (such as fallen logs) as a food
source although they do attack plant debris. They have kidney-shaped (reniform)
compound eyes but simple eyes (ocelli) are absent. Body colour is
generally dull brown. The mandibles are well developed. Most winged
species have two pairs of wings, both of which are membranous, soft and
flexible. Females are always wingless but some species do not possess
winged males. In some species the males may or may not be winged. The
abdomen is long and soft with 10 well defined segments although there may
be rudimentary traces of an eleventh segment.
The characteristic which gives rise to this insect’s common name is the
swollen first tarsal segment of each foreleg which contains silk glands.
The insects construct silk galleries through the leaf mould, litter or
moss in which they are living using silk from the leg glands. Even newly
emerged nymphs are able to secrete silk and build galleries for
themselves.
Nymph
There is no metamorphic cycle of egg-larva-pupa-adult. The insect emerges
from the egg as a miniature of the adult (nymph). But without wings if a
male of a winged species. Nymphs increase in size and maturity by
successive moults.
Members
Web-spinners, foot-spinners, embiids.
Food
Web-spinners are scavengers of plant material. Most food comprises moss,
bark and dead leaves from the forest floor. After mating, males do not
feed and may then be consumed by the females.
Importance
No known economic importance. The presence of web-spinners in the food
chains of ecosystems implies that the insects are a part of the forest
litter re-cycling system. |