Despite the greatly differing appearance of lice, they are believed to have evolved from within the former order psocoptera, which contained the bark lice and book lice. However, the psocoptera all have biting mouthparts, quite different to the sucking rostrum of the psylloidea. Psocoptera psocoptera, the bark lice, include 4,400 described species arranged in 3 suborders, trogiomorpha, troctomorpha, and psocomorpha. Entomology 462 orders of hexapoda order psocoptera psocids. Everything you need to know about a booklice infestation. Bark lice are gregarious and live together underneath layers of silken webbing. Molecular genetic evidence has confirmed past suspicions that true lice evolved from booklice and this finding has brought about a taxonomic reshuffling in which bark lice and parasitic lice share the order psocodea. These four orders compose a monophyletic group, the paraneoptera hemipteroid insects, and psocids retain the most primitive features in the group. Psocoptera comes from the greek words psocos, which means gnawed, and ptera, which means wings. Most species are freeliving and not pests, but several species of book lice are found indoors, e. Book lice, called psocids, are members of the insect order psocoptera, which has about 340 identified species in north america mockford, 1992. Troctomorpha are now known to also contain the order phthiraptera lice, and are therefore paraphyletic, as are psocoptera as a whole.
Commonly called barklice or booklice, members of the order psocoptera psocids are not true lice order phthiraptera although they are closely related to. Fast facts about psocoptera book lice, bark lice, dust lice minute less than 6 mm though a few are as large as 10 mm, softbodied, winged and wingless. Psocoptera are an order of insects that are commonly known as booklice, barklice or barkflies. Bark lice or psocids are small soft bodied insects which are often seen in groups or tiny herds on the surface of tree bark where they feed on lichens, fungi, and other superficial plant materials. Pdf version, 595 kb cci note 34 is part of cci notes series 3 the museum environment. Lastly, the family group psocetae consists of four families psocidae, psilopsoc idae, myopsocidae and. The aim of this research was to determine chemical composition and repellent and insecticidal activities of the essential oil of kaempferia galanga l. Their name originates from the greek word, psokhos meaning gnawed or rubbed and, ptera meaning wings. At fossil and mineral shows he would typically be found seated at an amber dealers booth, a great pile of amber pieces before him, peering through a loupe at the world inside each piece. The name psocoptera is derived from the greek psokos meaning rubbed or gnawed and ptera meaning wings. Although the psocoptera are called lice, they are not parasites, instead they are free living insects.
Based on your answers to the questions, you have identified your insect as being in the order psocoptera. Bottom left of frame shows one of the lice taking shelter inside the. Barklice feed on fungi, algae, dead plant tissues and other debris. Chapter 26 the best control for barklice or booklice or psocids. Characteristics psocids or booklice as they are commonly known are small usually dull coloured insects with a body length of 110 millimetres. Psocoptera the scientific name for this order of insects are a large. Psocoptera definition of psocoptera by merriamwebster. They survive by feeding on residues of feathers or skin cells, but never on the birds themselves. A brood of bark lice aka book lice psocoptera living inside an old leafcutter bee nest.
Most entomologists suspect that true lice ectoparasites of birds and mammals evolved directly from these commensal barklice. If you wish to keep any of the infested items, wrap them in a plastic bag, put them in your freezer for 2 days to kill the lice. Pending id psocoptera pending id psocoptera references edwards, b. Bark lice and psocids hawaii department of land and. Outdoors they inhabit bark where they feed on mosses and lichens. Most bark lice and psocids are scavengers or feed on lichen found on woody vegetation. Book and bark lice the psocoptera the psocoptera are a group of small soft, stout bodied insects which include book lice liposcelis sp. Featured movies all video latest this just in prelinger archives democracy now. The essential oil was obtained by hydrodistillation and analyzed by. Net booklice execute pest control scioly entomology 202014 at beckendorff junior high.
Booklice belong to the order psocoptera, which contains nonparasitic species. Spencer, a professor in the ubc zoology department. Psocoptera barklice and booklice rhythms of insect. This is the first insect order to show the beginnings of a transition to sucking mouthparts. Res handbooks for the identification of british insects. There are many other psocids that occur outdoors, including barklice. Bark lice and psocids order psocoptera order includes.
New species and records of peripsocus hagen psocoptera, peripsocidae from southeast australia. Furthermore, the family liposcelididae booklice of the psocoptera is regarded as the sister group of the phthiraptera. Apart from their similarities with phthiraptera, the psocoptera are most likely to be confused with the jumping plantlice. Barklice, booklice or psocids psocoptera springerlink. They first appeared in the permian period, 295248 million years. Pdf repellent and insecticidal effects of the essential. Itis taxonomy is based on the latest scientific consensus available, and is provided as a general reference source for interested parties. Barklice psocoptera psocids bark lice order psocoptera. Rons passion ron cauble, founder of the bone room, was obsessed with inclusions in amber. Although most psocoptera are freeliving, a few genera live in the nests of birds.
Psocids psocoptera booklice and barklice royal entomological. There are 50 families of bark lice with over 200 genera. However, it is not a legal authority for statutory or regulatory purposes. Some troctomorpha, such as liposcelis which are similar to lice in morphology, are often found in birds nests, and it is possible that a similar behavior in the ancestors of lice is at the origin of the parasitism seen today. So, were going to skip over the scientific data on these pests, like the fact that they are of the order psocoptera and that the staples of their diet are fungi, algae, lichen, and organic detritus, and get right to what matters most. Psocoptera barklice, booklice, psocids discover life. The spencer entomological museum was formally established in 1953 from the holdings of dr. Bark lice and psocids are an important food source for native birds and other insecteaters. While every effort has been made to provide the most reliable and uptodate information available, ultimate legal requirements with respect to species are contained in. These analyses indicate that parasitic lice evolved from within the psocoptera suborder troctomorpha.
Barklice, booklice or psocids psocoptera, figure 20 lachesilla pedicularia psocomorpha. The habit of psocids includes living or dead foliage, ground litter, bark of trees, and inside human habitations. Further, sucking and chewing lice originated from a common nonparasitic ancestral group within, the psocoptera book lice and bark lice. Unlike bloodsucking lice, psocids pronounces sosid are phytophagous, feeding on organic matter including algae, lichen, fungi, pollen, decaying plant particles detritus, and occasionally dead animal matter. For the other two hemipteroid orders, thysanoptera and psocoptera, only partial mtdna sequences are available. They are often regarded as the most primitive of the hemipteroids. The hemipteroid assemblage has four orders of insects.
It was formerly considered a superorder, but is now generally considered by entomologists as an order. Papers and proceedings of the royal society of tasmania 1949. Chapter 26 the best control for barklice or booklice or. Psocodea is a taxonomic group of insects comprising the bark lice, book lice and true lice. Such a paraphyletic group could no longer retain its status as an order, a rather similar situation to that of the isoptera and dictyoptera. They first appeared in the permian period, 295248 million years ago. Some recent molecular phylogenetic analyses embed the parasitic lice within the nonparasitic bark lice and book lice, and some authors now recognize the order psocodea, which includes the parasitic lice as well as the book and bark lice. These insects were until recently placed in the order psocoptera with the lice in a separate order phthiraptera. Apart from their similarities with phthiraptera, the psocoptera are most likely to be confused with the jumping plantlice in the hemipteran psylloidea, as they can be found in similar situations. Most male psocopterans perform a mating dance, and after fertilization, the female lays eggs under bark, leaves or a silk mat. Therefore, the order psocoptera is probably a paraphyletic taxon. The term barklice is typically reserved for psocid species that inhabit the bark of.
To get rid of booklice, start by throwing out any items that show signs of lice infestation, like books or boxes. A study of the tasmanian psocoptera with descriptions of new species. Phylogenetically, the order psocoptera psocids, barklice, and booklice is closely related to the phthiraptera lice, thysanoptera thrips, and hemiptera bugs, cicadas, aphids, etc. Fossil amber resin commonly called bark lice or book lice or barl lice, the psocopterans sport membranous wings held rooflike over abdomen. All psocids possess silk glands and in some species large webs are formed in which the community lives. Psocoptera definition is an order of tiny softbodied insects that have long antennae, chewing mouthparts, feed on organic matter, are either wingless or have two pairs of wings held over the back like a roof, and include the book lice and bark lice. Psocoptera barklice, booklice, psocids discover life mobile. Within the paraneoptera, psocids are most closely related to lice, with which they compose a monophyletic taxon, psocodea. Most male psocids perform a mating dance and after fertilisation the female lays her eggs under bark, leaves or a silk mat. Consequently, they are considered harmless and perhaps beneficial to the trees they infest.