Family Oligotomidae

Classification · Explanation of Names · Numbers · Size · Identification · Range · Works Cited

Webspinner sexes compared - Oligotoma nigra - male - female

Webspinner - Oligotoma saundersii - male

Classification

Kingdom Animalia (Animals)

Phylum Arthropoda (Arthropods)

Subphylum Hexapoda (Hexapods)

Class Insecta (Insects)

Order Embiidina (Webspinners)

Family Oligotomidae

Explanation of Names

Oligotomidae Enderlein 1909

Numbers

3 spp. in 2 genera in our area (all adventive), ~45 spp. in 6 genera total(1)

Size

5-10+ mm

Identification

most adult males have wings; all females and immature individuals are wingless

Haploembia solieri: body pale pinkish, shading to brownish anteriorly (males not found in CA, only parthenogenetic wingless females)

Oligotoma nigra: adults at least 9 mm long, uniformly blackish or dark brownish; only males have wings

O. saundersii: dark brownish, similar to O. nigra

see(2)

Range

warmer regions of the Old World, esp. Oriental & Australasian (+a dozen Afrotropical); in our area:(3)

Haploembia solieri: native to se. Europe, now widespread broadly distributed around the Mediterranean basin; in our area, w./sw. US (TX-CA-UT-OR)

Oligotoma nigra: native to India, now widespread in the tropics globally; in our area, sw. US (TX-CA-UT)

O. saundersii: native to so. Asia, now widespread in the tropics globally; in our area, FL-TX

Works Cited

1.	Maehr M.D., Eades D.C. (2013) Embioptera Species File Online. Version 5.0

2.	The Embioptera of California Ross E.S. 1957. Bull. Cal. Insect Survey 6(3): 51-57.

3.	Ross E.S. () World list of extant and fossil Embiidina (=Embioptera)

Contributed by Robin McLeod on 27 October, 2005 - 9:10pm
Additional contributions by Hannah Nendick-Mason, v belov, Harsi S. Parker
Last updated 24 October, 2013 - 1:32pm

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