Don't you know your name is Embioptera? Introducing a webspinner species that prefers to not spin silk, not guard her eggs and not associate with others

Embiopterans, commonly known as webspinners, are distinguished by several shared characteristics: they construct intricate silk domiciles, exhibit maternal care behavior, and are typically gregarious. While these traits are observed in webspinner species worldwide, recent findings on Haploembia tarsalis (Oligotomidae), a common exotic species introduced to the western USA from the Mediterranean, present a striking counterpoint. Haploembia tarsalis differs significantly from all other examined embiopteran species. For example, adult females are invariably found alone in separate silk galleries. Although they spin silk, they do so reluctantly, show no maternal care for their eggs, and display pronounced antisocial behaviors. This presentation will explore whether this unusual behavior is partly attributable to the presence of gregarine parasites triggering divergent behavior in the host insect or if social distancing evolved as a means to minimize contact between infected and non-infected individuals. Beyond their unique social behaviors, H. tarsalis exhibits several other unusual characteristics, including asexuality, polyploidy, and pale coloration. The population of a congener, H. solieri, has been spread recently by landscapers moving mulch from place to place in the same region where H. tarsalis occurs. Their availability allowed for comparison between these very closely related species revealing clues as to why H. tarsalis evolved to be a “non-webspinner webspinner.