Lesser Stag Beetle vs Pale-winged Barklouse

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute	Lesser Stag Beetle	Pale-winged Barklouse
Scientific Name	Dorcus parallelipipedus	Peripsocus phaeopterus
Order	Coleoptera	Psocoptera
Family	Lucanidae	Peripsocidae
Size	19-32 mm	2-3 mm
Habitat	Woodlands	Forests
Diet	Wood Feeders	Wood Feeders
Regions	Western Europe, Central Europe, Southern Europe	Europe
Conservation	Least Concern	Least Concern

Lesser Stag Beetle

A robust, matt-black beetle found across European woodlands. Unlike its larger cousin, both sexes have similarly sized mandibles.

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Larvae take three to four years to develop inside rotting logs before pupating.

A common European bark louse with smoky brown wings. It lives on tree trunks where it scrapes algae and lichen from the bark.

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Females guard their egg clusters on tree bark until they hatch.