title: The spinning apparatus of webspinners--functional-morphology, morphometrics and spinning behaviour.
abstract: Webspinners (Insecta: Embioptera) have a distinctly unique behaviour with related morphological characteristics. Producing silk with the basitarsomeres of their forelegs plays a crucial role in the lives of these insects--providing shelter and protection. The correlation between body size, morphology and morphometrics of the spinning apparatus and the spinning behaviour of Embioptera was investigated for seven species using state-of-the-art methodology for behavioural as well as for morphological approaches. Independent contrast analysis revealed correlations between morphometric characters and body size. Larger webspinners in this study have glands with greater reservoir volume, but in proportionally smaller tarsi relative to body size than in the smaller species. Furthermore, we present a detailed description and review of the spinning apparatus in Embioptera in comparison to other arthropods and substantiate the possible homology of the embiopteran silk glands to class III dermal silk glands of insects.
authors.affiliation: University Museum of Zoology, Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.
authors.forename: Sebastian
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Büsse
authors.affiliation: Johann-Friedrich-Blumenbach-Institute of Zoology and Anthropology, Department of Morphology, Systematic and Evolutionary Biology, Georg-August-University Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany.
authors.forename: Thomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Hörnschemeyer
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, Santa Clara University, Santa Clara, CA, USA.
authors.forename: Kyle
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Hohu
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, Santa Clara University, Santa Clara, CA, USA.
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: McMillan
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, Santa Clara University, Santa Clara, CA, USA.
authors.forename: Janice S
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Edgerly
mesh_terms: D000825:Animal Structures / Q000033:anatomy & histology* / Q000502:physiology; D000818:Animals; D001522:Behavior, Animal / Q000502:physiology*; D049628:Body Size / Q000502:physiology; D005121:Extremities / Q000033:anatomy & histology* / Q000502:physiology; D005260:Female; D008297:Male; D009929:Organ Size / Q000502:physiology; D010802:Phylogeny; D025341:Principal Component Analysis; D047011:Silk / Q000096:biosynthesis; D013112:Spiders / Q000033:anatomy & histology* / Q000145:classification / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D047011:Silk