Biology:Rhagadochir virgo

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Short description: Species of insect

Rhagadochir virgo
Scientific classification edit
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Embioptera
Family: Scelembiidae
Genus: Rhagadochir
Species:
R. virgo
Binomial name
Rhagadochir virgo
(Ross, 1960)[1]

Rhagadochir virgo is a species of webspinner, an insect in the order Embiidina, also known as Embioptera. This species is native to the Republic of the Congo in tropical West Africa.[1]

Ecology

Only females of this species have been found, the insects reproducing by parthenogenesis. Perhaps because of their close inter-relatedness, these insects are notably gregarious, crowding together in their silken tunnels. The insects spin their silk in a co-ordinated fashion and may move to new quarters in an organised group, a behaviour not observed elsewhere among members of this order. A female will lay a batch of eggs and wrap them in silk, often incorporating lichen pieces into the silk covering, which may be a form of providing food for the nymphs when they hatch.[2]

References

Wikidata ☰ Q5360369 entry