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National Moth Week was July 19-27, and the Summer 2025 gathering in Louisiana, July 19-27

Photos of insects and people from the 2024 BugGuide gathering in Idaho July 24-27

Moth submissions from National Moth Week 2024

Photos of insects and people from the 2022 BugGuide gathering in New Mexico, July 20-24

Photos of insects and people from the Spring 2021 gathering in Louisiana, April 28-May 2

Photos of insects and people from the 2019 gathering in Louisiana, July 25-27

Species Oligotoma saundersii - Saunders' Webspinner

Webspinner - Oligotoma saundersii - male

Saunders' Embiid - Oligotoma saundersii - male

Oligotoma saundersii nymph - Oligotoma saundersii

Classification

Kingdom Animalia (Animals)

Phylum Arthropoda (Arthropods)

Subphylum Hexapoda (Hexapods)

Class Insecta (Insects)

Order Embiidina (Webspinners)

Family Oligotomidae

Genus Oligotoma

Species saundersii (Saunders' Webspinner)

Explanation of Names

Oligotoma saundersii (Westwood 1837)

Identification

Similar to O. nigra but a bit lighter in color and with a yellowish tinge, esp. near leg joints. In O. saundersii males, the head tends to be darker than the rest of the body (in O. nigra the whole insect is uniformly black). Females and nymphs ID'd by association with identified males. (S.D. Rider's comments)

Male -- Female -- Nymph

Range

FL-TX-FL - Map (1)(Rider 2009); native to so. Asia, now widespread in the tropics globally

Life Cycle

eggs almost completely covered with chewed substrate and also possibly fecula

Internet References

Life History and Behavior of the Embiopteran Oligotoma saundersii (Westwood, 1837) - S. D. Rider, Jr. 2009 (Full PDF)

Works Cited

1.	Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF)

Contributed by john and jane balaban on 7 June, 2009 - 9:24pm
Additional contributions by Beatriz Moisset, Mike Quinn, v belov, Harsi S. Parker, PaleoJon
Last updated 15 November, 2020 - 2:36pm

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