''Haploembia tarsalis'' or the pink webspinner is a species of

webspinner The order Embioptera, commonly known as webspinners or footspinners, are a small group of mostly tropical and subtropical insects, classified under the subclass Pterygota. The order has also been called Embiodea or Embiidina. More than 400 sp ...

in the family

Oligotomidae Oligotomidae is a family of webspinners in the order Embioptera. There are about 6 genera and at least 40 described species in Oligotomidae. They are known to be found in warmer regions of the Old World and in the Southwestern United Sta ...

. It is originally from the Mediterranean, but was introduced to California before the 20th Century. ''H. tarsalis'' reproduces asexually through

parthenogenesis Parthenogenesis (; from the Greek grc, παρθένος, translit=parthénos, lit=virgin, label=none + grc, γένεσις, translit=génesis, lit=creation, label=none) is a natural form of asexual reproduction in which growth and development ...

, and only females are known. Adults are wingless, between 8-11 mm in length, and vary in color from pale orange to black. They live in silk tunnels that they spin in soil, leaf litter, and under stones and other debris.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q1811325 Embioptera Insects described in 1940 Unisexual animals Asexual reproduction in animals