Stats

Lifespan

A few months

Size

Medium

Diet

Herbivore

Activity

Nocturnal

Social

Solitary

Biome

Temperate forest

Range

Europe

Movement

Walking

Breeding

Egg-laying

Defense

Camouflage

Status

Rare

About

A yellowish-black, boldly striped barklouse found across Europe on tree bark and lichen, where it grazes on algae and fungal spores with its distinctive mottled wings folded tent-like over its body.

Life cycle

1. 1.
   egg

   A small egg is laid on or near the larval food source and hatches within days or weeks.
2. 2.
   juvenile

   An immature insect feeds and molts, growing through successive instars.
3. 3.
   subadult

   A near-adult insect has wing buds or near-mature form, one molt away from full size.
4. 4.
   adult

   Fully grown, with full wings and adult coloration.

Learn more

• View on iNaturalist →
• Watch on YouTube →

Taxonomy

Kingdom

Animalia

Phylum

Arthropoda

Class

Insecta

Order

Psocodea

Family

Psocidae

Genus

Psococerastis

Species

Psococerastis gibbosa