Hevisiox of T!ik FhrBlOPTERA OF \Ve'=^tfrx At:rtraija. 
130 
5._rEVISION op the embioptera of western 
AUSTRALIA. 
By Consett Davis, M,Sc. 
Loeturer in Biology, New England University College, Armidale, N.S.W. 
Read: 9th December, 1941. Published: loth March, 1944. 
Communicato'd by L. Glauert. 
INTRODUCTION. 
The Order Embioptera is well represented in Western Australia, somewhat 
sporadic collecting having to <late nwealed five species, of which three are 
endemic and rather bizarre in structure. Interesting collections have been 
received from time to time from the Western Australian Museum, by courtesy 
of the (’urator, Mr. L. Glauert, to whom my thanks are due. It is the purpose 
of this paper to collate the systematic records relating to those species known 
fi-oin Western Australia, and to add certain new locality records. It is hoped 
that this may lead to further collecting, which would almost certainly result 
in the discovery of new' forms. 
GENEBAL ORGANISATION. 
The Embioptera form a small but distinct Order of Orthopteroid insects, 
showing some affinity to tlu^ Isoiitera and to a less extent the Dermaptera and 
Perlaria, from all of which, how'ever, they are probably separated by a long 
line of independent ancestry. No distinctly descriptive common name has 
been applied to these insects ; the name “ Foot-spinners ” is here proposed, 
referring to the distinctive habit of members of the Order of spinning silken 
webs from the glands of the fore tarsi. 
Apart from the Palaeozoic Sub-Order Pi*otembioptera, with tw'o monotypic 
genera (Frotembia Till., Tillyardemhia Zal.) of ill-defined structure, the Order 
is represented by about 140 Tertiary and Recent species, distributed through 
some 36 genera and seven families, of which tw'O are represented in Western 
Australia, each by a single genus. 
The females of Tertiary and Recent genera (Sub-Order Euembioptera) 
are wingless and larviform, and possess no good taxonomic characters. The 
males are usually w'ingod, occasionally wingless, w'hile a few species are known 
within w'hich both forms occur. The tw'o pairs of wings are equal and widely- 
spaced, and the veins are rather weak. A short subcosta is present ; the 
i-adius (Ri) is the strongest vein in the wing, its sector arising near the base 
and forking a little before half the lengtli of the wing to an anterior branch 
(Ra+d* usually fusing with Rj subterminally, and a posterior branch {R 4 + 5 ), 
w'hich may be forked or, as in all Australian species, sim]->le. The media 
(M) arises separately near the radial sector ; it is rarely forked, usually simple, 
and often only weakly developed. The first cubital (Cui) has a strong main 
axis and an anterior branch (Ciq^), usually weak, but forked once or several 
times in some exotic genera ; there is no second cubital. One small anal vein 
is present. Cross-veins may be frequent, but their number and position shows 
individual variation, and they are of no taxonomic significance. 
k 40/43 
