Entomology Class: Insects

Order: Webspinners

Webspinners

Latin: Embioptera — Relevance to Fly Fishing:

Webspinners are small insects that produce silk from their front legs to create intricate, web-like galleries.

Webspinners (Latin: Embioptera)

Where you can find Webspinners

On this map you see where there were observations of Webspinners around the world. This will give you an idea of the global distribution of this class. Note that a class can have many different families, and thousands of species.

Years 2000 until now, source: GBIF

Diversity and distribution

The insect class Embioptera, also known as webspinners, is a small and relatively obscure group of insects with approximately 400 known species. These insects are characterized by their elongated bodies, enlarged front legs, and unique silk-spinning abilities. The Embioptera class is divided into several families, such as Embiidae, Oligotomidae, and Clothodidae, among others.

Embioptera can be found in various countries around the world, primarily in tropical and subtropical regions. Their distribution extends across parts of North and South America, Africa, Asia, and Australia. Webspinners typically inhabit a range of environments, including forests, grasslands, and even urban areas, often living in the crevices of rocks, bark, or leaf litter.

Life cycles of Embioptera

The life cycle of webspinners consists of three stages: egg, nymph, and adult. The duration of each stage varies among species.

Female webspinners lay their eggs within the silk galleries they construct, providing a safe and sheltered environment for their offspring. Upon hatching, the nymphs closely resemble the adult form but are smaller and lack fully developed wings. As they grow, nymphs undergo multiple molts before ultimately reaching adulthood. Adult webspinners continue to live within their silk galleries, feeding on a variety of organic materials.

Embioptera and fly fishing

Embioptera insects are not typically considered a primary food source for fish, and their relevance to fly fishing is limited. However, their presence near water sources, particularly in tropical and subtropical regions, may occasionally make them a target for opportunistic fish species. Ask in a local fly shop whether it's worth bringing a pattern that matches any of the Embioptera insects.

Grow your fly fishing passion

Get info based on the rods your own
Save your favorite flies, fish, locations and more
Explore fish, flies, insects, locations, countries and more

Run by fly fishers and completely free!

Create account

Other orders in the class Insects

Each order has an indication of its relevance to fly fishing:
= Not so relevant
= Somewhat relevant
= Most relevant

Alderflies, Dobsonflies, and Fishflies

Megaloptera

Ants, Bees, and Wasps

Hymenoptera

Beetles

Coleoptera

Booklice and Barklice

Psocoptera

Bristletails

Archaeognatha

Butterflies and Moths

Lepidoptera

Caddisflies

Trichoptera

Cockroaches and Termites

Blattodea

Dragonflies and Damselflies

Odonata

Earwigs

Dermaptera

Fleas

Siphonaptera

Grasshoppers, Crickets, and Katydids

Orthoptera

Lacewings, Antlions, and Owlflies

Neuroptera

Mantises

Mantodea

Mayflies

Ephemeroptera

Scorpionflies

Mecoptera

Snakeflies

Raphidioptera

Stick Insects and Leaf Insects

Phasmida

Stoneflies

Plecoptera

Thrips

Thysanoptera

True Bugs

Hemiptera

True Flies

Diptera

Twisted-Winged Parasites

Strepsiptera

Your cart

Please create an account

You need a free FlyFish Circle account to shop in the Boutique. This makes the shopping experience better and safer both for you and the fly tyers that you purchase from.

Create an account

Already have an account? Log in here.

The FlyFish Circle Boutique

Fill you fly box with unique, high quality flies tied by independent fly tyers.

Visit the Boutique

Order summary