Wood-boring Barklouse vs Pale-winged Barklouse

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Wood-boring Barklouse Pale-winged Barklouse
Scientific Name Psilopsocus mimulus Peripsocus phaeopterus
Order Psocoptera Psocoptera
Family Psilopsocidae Peripsocidae
Size 2-3 mm 2-3 mm
Habitat Woodlands Forests
Diet Wood Feeders Wood Feeders
Regions Central America, South America Europe
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

Wood-boring Barklouse

An unusual psocid that bores into dead wood rather than living on bark surfaces. It creates small tunnels in decaying timber.

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Did You Know?

It is one of the very few bark lice that actually bores into wood.

Pale-winged Barklouse

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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Did You Know?

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