Embioptera
order of insects
The Embioptera are an order of insects, commonly known as webspinners.
| Embioptera Temporal range: Jurassic – Recent
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| Order: | Embioptera
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There are two suborders and ten families | |
Webspinners are a small group of mostly tropical and subtropical insects. They are in the subclass Pterygota. The group first appeared during the Jurassic and is well represented in Cretaceous amber. The common name webspinner comes from the insects' ability to spin silk from structures on their front legs. They use the silk to make a web-like pouch or gallery in which they live. They feed on leaf litter, moss, bark and lichen.
Occasionally they arrive in temperate countries, usually as passengers on cargo.[1]