Dictionary

psocid en · NOUN

Etymology

Borrowed from Translingual Psocidae.

Meanings

1. Any barklouse of the family Psocidae.
   • Nymphs and adults of psocids are regularly found in caves. Psyllipsocidae (in Europe the most common psocid in caves is Psyllipsocus ramburii) and Prionoglarididae are perhaps particularly characteristic of caves.[…]In the case of psocids, it has been suggested that the Psyllipsocidae (an ancient group) may have survived by avoiding competition with more recent forms by inhabitibg caves or similar habitats. 2008, John L. Capinera, editor, Encyclopedia of Entomology, volume 4, page 396:
   • Psocids (New 1987) are free-living insects that feed on microflora and organic debris on surfaces of vegetation or on other surfaces.[…]Psocids are frequently gregarious as nymphs or adults and may even group together under a communal web. 1993, Charles Leonard Hogue, Latin American Insects and Entomology, page 186:
   • The houe psocid, Liposcelis bostrychophilus, is a tropical species, but it occurs primarily in households in temperate regions. 2005, William H. Robinson, Urban Insects and Arachnids: A Handbook of Urban Entomology, page 367:

Forms

Synonyms

book louse (any species of Psocoptera) · bark louse (any species of Psocoptera) · bark fly (any species of Psocoptera) · psocopteran (any species of Psocoptera)