Workbook

Vial: Psocoptera #150

General information about Psocoptera on AFD https://biodiversity.org.au/afd/taxa/Psocoptera

“300 species are recorded from Australia. Psocoptera are found in a wide variety of terrestrial habitats. These include living and dead foliage, on or under bark of trunks, branches and twigs, in litter, on fences and walls, on or under rocks, in caves, in human habitations and in stored products. They have been found in ants' nests, bee hives and in birds' nests. The nymphs of one exceptional Australian species make short tunnels in wood. Psocids feed mainly on microflora and organic debris. Some species occur in several types of habitat and have a wide food range but others, with more specialised habitat requirements, have restricted diets. Some of these feed solely on unicellular algae, lichens or on fungi associated with a specific substratum, such as dead leaves. Some species can be reared on yeast media. There is often some general correlation between food sources, habitats, morphology and systematic position.

Most Psocoptera are solitary, aggregations occurring where food is abundant or where other factors influence behaviour. Various degrees of intraspecific association are also found. In some species individuals are found in loose groups of adults and nymphs. A few occur in close physical contact as nymphs, but disperse when adult. Some live under larger or smaller communal webs; in extreme cases the webs cover whole tree trunks and branches (Archipsocus Hagen). Parthenogenesis is fairly common and viviparity is known in some Archipsocidae. Many use silk and an encrustation of anally voided bark to cover their eggs.

Little is known of the detailed biology and ecology of native Australian species. As grazers on the microflora they sometimes occur in enormous numbers and are clearly important in making available to other parts of the food web resources derived from the microflora. Psocids are a wide variety of predators, including spiders, pseudoscorpions, neuropteran larvae, ants, reduviids, wasps, thrips and birds. They are attacked by parasitic nematodes and entomophagous fungi. Mymarid parasites and mirid bugs destroy their eggs and braconids attack nymphs and adults.

Psocoptera are becoming increasingly recognised as important pests of stored products, especially farinaceous foods. They are a nuisance in houses and are known to be responsible for some allergic reactions in people working with infested material such as fabricated building materials and stock feed. They may also be important in transmission of some parasitic worms of sheep.”

Found in malaise trap collection from 2 Feb 2020-1 March 2020

Female: body length=1.9mm

Keyed out to Trichopsocidae using Insects of Australia CSIRO and to genus Trichopsocus from Edwards, BAB (1949) Papers. Proc. Roy. Soc. Tas. 117: 93-134 “A Study of the Tasmanian Psocoptera with descriptions of new species.”

Suborder Psocomorpha: Antennae 13-segmented; tarsi 2-segmented; pterostigma thickened

Family Trichopsocidae: Adults macropterous; Labrum without 2 narrow scelorotised bands; Tarsi 2-segmented; Forewing venation distinct; Areola postica present; Forewing with at least a few setae on veins; M 3-branched on forewing; Areola postica free (not joined to M); Single row of setae on veins of forewings; No crossvein between pterostigma and Rs; Hindwing with apical and/or posterior marginal setae alternately longer and shorter.

Genus Trichopsocus: Forewing: pterostigma subrectangular; areola postica flattened; au without hairs; ax with two rows of long hairs. Hindwing: one row of hairs on the margin from the end of r1 to r4+5; posterior margin with alternate long and short hairs.

Trichopsocus australis. These insects were found singly on the underside of leaves of Pittosporum sp. Edwards (1949).

“There is one Australian species in the family Trichopsocidae” Insects of Australia CSIRO 1991

AFD list one species in this family Trichopsocus clarus and say this is synonomous with Trichopsocus australis.

The description of T. australis differs in several respects from the appearance of this insect - in particular body colouration and antennal length. Venation of forewing is also slightly different, viz. our insect lacks a branch which is present in T. australis at the position of the asterisk.

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