Creating silk tubes and patches with embiid style

Webspinners of the order Embiidina are defined by living within silken domiciles that they construct by stepping with their front feet and releasing many strands of silk at once. They are remarkably uniform morphologically, being distinguished taxonomically almost exclusively by male traits. For this talk, I will present a review of silk spinning diversity within the order and will relate that diversity to lifestyle differences by addressing the question: Do embiids vary in silk spinning behavior in ways related to lifestyle? I will present a survey of their willingness to spin silk, their differences in silk architecture, differential investment in silk glands, and choreographing of their stepping while spinning. Video recordings will highlight some key behaviors in a variety of species.