By Jessica Vogt
The Webspinners, or Embioptera, are a group of gregarious insects that live in web galleries which they spin using bulbous structures on their tarsi. They are mostly tropical species, but a few can be found in Arizona, California, New Mexico and Texas, according to Bugguide.net. Having never lived in an area with Embioptera, I was very excited to find my first specimen when I moved to Arizona. I had lived here for a year before I came across my first one. I found its gallery on the stem of a peach I had just picked from Apple Annie’s in Willcox, AZ. Excitedly, I pulled the gallery apart with my forceps and found a female and two immatures! I was so excited! I was also somewhat remorseful that I didn’t get a video of the insect. But happily, I found a second peach with an Embiopteran gallery. I recorded this encounter and am happy to share the video with you below.
Embioptera are well known for their ability to rapidly move forward and backward. You can see in the video how easily it moves in either direction. This caused my sister to describe it as a “pushme pullyou” from Dr. Doolittle. Although this critter is not a creation of fiction, its charismatic nature makes it a pleasure to watch! The males are winged and, from all accounts, will visit your porch light. I look forward to spending my summer nights on the deck, hoping to have my evening once again enriched by these unique insects.
For more information, you can visit
Bugguide.net: http://bugguide.net/node/view/16969
Wildlife Journal Junior: http://www.nhptv.org/wild/embioptera.asp
The Webspinners, or Embioptera, are a group of gregarious insects that live in web galleries which they spin using bulbous structures on their tarsi. They are mostly tropical species, but a few can be found in Arizona, California, New Mexico and Texas, according to Bugguide.net. Having never lived in an area with Embioptera, I was very excited to find my first specimen when I moved to Arizona. I had lived here for a year before I came across my first one. I found its gallery on the stem of a peach I had just picked from Apple Annie’s in Willcox, AZ. Excitedly, I pulled the gallery apart with my forceps and found a female and two immatures! I was so excited! I was also somewhat remorseful that I didn’t get a video of the insect. But happily, I found a second peach with an Embiopteran gallery. I recorded this encounter and am happy to share the video with you below.
Embioptera are well known for their ability to rapidly move forward and backward. You can see in the video how easily it moves in either direction. This caused my sister to describe it as a “pushme pullyou” from Dr. Doolittle. Although this critter is not a creation of fiction, its charismatic nature makes it a pleasure to watch! The males are winged and, from all accounts, will visit your porch light. I look forward to spending my summer nights on the deck, hoping to have my evening once again enriched by these unique insects.
For more information, you can visit
Bugguide.net: http://bugguide.net/node/view/16969
Wildlife Journal Junior: http://www.nhptv.org/wild/embioptera.asp