Furniture Booklouse vs Malaccensis Fungus Termite

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Furniture Booklouse Malaccensis Fungus Termite
Scientific Name Liposcelis paeta Macrotermes malaccensis
Order Psocoptera Blattodea
Family Liposcelididae Termitidae
Size 0.7-1.0 mm 5-14 mm
Habitat Indoors Forests
Diet Fungus Feeders Fungus Feeders
Regions Europe, North America, Oceania Peninsular Malaysia, Sumatra, Borneo
Conservation Not Evaluated Least Concern

Furniture Booklouse

A minute pale booklouse often found in new homes and recently plastered walls. It feeds on microscopic mold in damp indoor environments.

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Did You Know?

Outbreaks in new buildings disappear once the structure dries out and mold can no longer grow on fresh plaster.

Malaccensis Fungus Termite

A large mound-building fungus termite found in the rainforests of peninsular Malaysia and Borneo. Colonies construct prominent earthen mounds up to 2 meters tall on the forest floor. Workers are dimorphic with major and minor size classes.

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Did You Know?

The mounds serve as critical habitat for many other species, including snakes, geckos, and beetles that nest in the stable temperature and humidity of the termite mound.