Embiidina

Definition

A historical or alternative ordinal name for the webspinners, equivalent to Embioptera, denoting the order of small, soft-bodied, gregarious insects that spin silk galleries from glands on the foretarsi. The group comprises more than 400 described species in 11 families, predominantly tropical and subtropical, with reduced winged males and apterous females.

Etymology

Example

Species of Oligembia and Aposthonia in the southeastern United States are classified under Embiidina, living colonially in silken tunnels spun beneath bark or stones.

Synonyms

• Embioptera
• Embiodea

Related Terms

• Embioptera
• webspinner
• Pterygota
• Apterous
• gregarious
• silk gland

Usage Notes

Embiidina is used interchangeably with Embioptera in older literature and some regional taxonomic traditions; Embioptera is now the preferred ordinal name under current nomenclatural standards. The term appears primarily in historical works and some phylogenetic discussions. Do not confuse with Embiidina as a family-level grouping, which occasionally appears in outdated classifications.