← Gallery II · The Orders
No. 23 · Hemimetabolous
Webspinners
Embioptera
~460
Described species
~11
Families
Introduction
Webspinners are the only insects that produce silk from their front legs. They run forward and backward equally fast through their tunnel galleries.
Field marks
Key ID traits.
Elongate, slightly flattened. Unique enlarged front tarsi that produce silk — they live in extensive silken galleries on bark, rocks, and soil. Females are wingless; males may have wings.
Etymology
Greek embios 'lively' + pteron 'wing'
Wings
Variable
Diet
Detritivore · Herbivore
Habitat
Terrestrial
Notable examples
Black webspinner.
Where to look