Oligotomidae is one of the 13 extant families of Embioptera. It is distinguished from the other families by the combination of the following characteristics: male terminalia strongly asymmetrical; left basal cercus (LC1) not fused, elongate and slender; mandibles robust with prominent teeth; 10th tergite (10T) incompletely divided to 10LP and 10RP; MA vein not bifurcated (Ross 2007; Miller et al. 2012). The family is composed of six genera, Aposthonia Krauss 1911, Bulbosembia Ross 2007, Eosembia Ross 2007, Haploembia Verhoeff 1904, Lobosembia Ross 2007, and Oligotoma Westwood 1837.
Type genus: Oligotoma Westwood 1837
Distribution: Asia, Australasia, Mediterranean but some species have been introduced to other parts of the world (Ross 2007).
Remarks: Oligotomidae is one of the four families of webspinners found in Southeast Asia, the other three being Embonychidae Navas, Ptilocerembiidae Miller and Edgerly, and Teratembiidae Krauss (Ross 2007, Poolprasert 2014). So far, it is the only family recorded in the Philippines.