Furniture Booklouse vs Nairobi Eye Beetle

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Furniture Booklouse Nairobi Eye Beetle
Scientific Name Liposcelis paeta Paederus sabaeus
Order Psocoptera Coleoptera
Family Liposcelididae Staphylinidae
Size 0.7-1.0 mm 7-10 mm
Habitat Indoors Indoors
Diet Fungus Feeders Predators
Regions Europe, North America, Oceania East Africa, Sub-Saharan Africa
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.

Nairobi Eye Beetle

A small, brightly colored rove beetle with an orange and black body that produces pederin, a potent blistering toxin. Outbreaks near human habitation cause painful dermatitis known as Nairobi eye.

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Did You Know?

Pederin, the toxin in its hemolymph, is 12 times more potent than cobra venom drop for drop and is being researched as an anti-cancer compound.