Webspinners of Zihuatanejo

ORDER EMBIOPTERA

• Animals (Kingdom Animalia)

• Arthropods (Phylum Arthropoda)

• Hexapods (Subphylum Hexapoda)

• Insects (Class Insecta)

• Winged and Once-winged Insects (Subclass Pterygota)

• Webspinners Order Embioptera

• Suborder Neoembiodea

• Infraorder Oligotomorpha

• Family Oligotomidae

• Genus Oligotoma

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Genus Oligotoma is a genus of webspinners in the family Oligotomidae within the order Embioptera. Oligotoma species inhabit loose bark, rock crevices, leaf litter, dead wood, and other sheltered environments. They are small, slender insects with elongated bodies, chewing mouthparts, and a remarkable adaptation found only in webspinners: enlarged front tarsi containing silk glands. Using these glands, they spin intricate silken galleries in which they live, forage, molt, and protect their eggs and young. Females are wingless and remain within the silk network throughout their lives, while males are usually winged and disperse to locate mates. Oligotoma species feed primarily on algae, lichens, mosses, and decaying plant material found within their sheltered habitats.