Oligotomidae

Definition

A family of webspinners (order Embioptera) comprising approximately six genera and at least 40 described species. Members are small, gregarious insects that inhabit silken galleries spun from silk produced by enlarged foretarsal glands. The family is distinguished from other embiopteran families by combinations of tarsal and genitalic characters, with distributions centered in tropical and subtropical regions of the Old World.

Etymology

From Greek oligos (few, little) + tomos (cut, section) + -idae (family suffix), referring to reduced or simplified morphological features characteristic of the group.

Example

Oligotoma saundersii, a widespread species in the Oligotomidae, constructs extensive colonial gallery systems on tree trunks and rock faces in South Asian urban environments.

Related Terms

• Embioptera
• webspinner
• foretarsus
• silk gland
• Notoligotomidae
• Anisembiidae
• embiopteran gallery

Usage Notes

Distinguished from the related family Notoligotomidae by tarsal segmentation and male genitalic structure; both families were historically conflated under broader concepts of Oligotomidae. Identification to family requires examination of foretarsal silk glands and genitalic morphology.