. Occasional papers of the California Academy of Sciences. umbers maybe much less in other species. Egg size may be con-stant regardless of the size of the female, , thoselaid in small numbers by minute species of Oligem-bia appear to be as large as those laid by relativelyhuge Antipahiria females. The tightly clumped eggs are slightly slanted withthe opercula exposed. Many species spin a densecovering of silk over the mass. Obviously, such cov-erings, and parental guarding, reduce the percentageof eggs parasitized by scelionid wasps. It is likelythat the habit of covering eggs is related
. Occasional papers of the California Academy of Sciences. umbers maybe much less in other species. Egg size may be con-stant regardless of the size of the female, , thoselaid in small numbers by minute species of Oligem-bia appear to be as large as those laid by relativelyhuge Antipahiria females. The tightly clumped eggs are slightly slanted withthe opercula exposed. Many species spin a densecovering of silk over the mass. Obviously, such cov-erings, and parental guarding, reduce the percentageof eggs parasitized by scelionid wasps. It is likelythat the habit of covering eggs is related to the geo-graphic occurrence of the wasps. For example, inthe Mediterranean region where such wasps appar-ently do not occur, the eggs oiHaploembia spp. andEmbia spp. are uncovered and loosely clumped. Species within unrelated Amazonian genera en-close eggs in a sawdust-like matrix of chewed habitatparticles which is densely covered with silk, thusforming a low mound on which the female rests (), ready to challenge approaching parasites and K?:-.^. Figure 18. As females guard their eggs, they lunge toward enemies—particularly egg para-sites. £>/HeH!/j/a sp. (Embiidae). Northern Zambia. ROSS: EMBIA, BIOSYSTEMATICS OF THE ORDER EMBIIDINA, PART 2 15 predators. However, such protection, like most de-fenses in nature, is imperfect. For example, I foundwithin a mass containing 51 eggs, 12 fully developedscelionid wasps clearly visible through transparentegg shells. Additional information on maternal protection ofeggs and young is provided by Edgerly (1987a, b;1988, 1994) in her detailed study of plesiomorphicAntipaluria iiiichi (Saussure) (Clothodidae) inTrinidad.
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