Topic summary
Webspinner
Extracted from the Wikipedia article Embioptera.
Silk web production
Webspinner silk is among the thinnest of all animal silks, being in most species about 90 to 100 nanometres in diameter. The finest of any insect are those of the webspinner Aposthonia gurneyi, averaging about 65 nanometres in diameter. Each thread consists of a protein core folded into pleated beta-sheets, with a water-repellent coating rich in waxy alkanes.