Anisembiidae

Definition

A family of webspinners (order Embioptera), comprising the largest family-level grouping within the order. Members are characterized by silk-producing glands on the foretarsi used to construct communal silk galleries in leaf litter, bark crevices, or soil cracks. The family is divided into several subfamilies and contains the majority of described embiopteran species.

Etymology

Example

Species of Anisembiidae such as those in the genus Anisembia are frequently collected in tropical and subtropical leaf litter, where their silk galleries protect colonies from desiccation and predation.

Related Terms

• Embioptera
• webspinner
• embiid
• silk gland
• tarsomere
• gallery
• Subfamily

Usage Notes

As a family name, Anisembiidae is always capitalized and treated as a plural noun in formal taxonomic usage (e.g., "Anisembiidae are distributed globally"). The family encompasses more species diversity than all other embiopteran families combined. Identification to family relies on wing venation and male genitalic characters; females of many species are difficult to distinguish from other embiid families without molecular data.