Diptera.info

Posted by Lennart Bendixen on 13-12-2015 22:36

Hi!

Is there any possibility to identify Pscocoptera nymphs? The first step to Psocomorpha was easy, but then it continues with venation couplets...

Maybe someone with more experience knows the family, though?

Thanks for your help!

Lennart

2015-11-21, Northern Germany, S-H, Mohrkirch, inside a rotten apple

Edited by Lennart Bendixen on 15-12-2015 08:54

Posted by Sundew on 14-12-2015 23:36

These trusty blue eyes say: Ectopsocus. It is an old nymph of the last stage, a teenager, looking already quite adult. Only the wings are still underdeveloped, but the hairyness of the forewings is already well visible. The frequent E. briggsi and E. meridionalis are the candidates (see http://www.pbase....e/71007497 and the third picture of E. briggsi in https://www.brc.a...llery.aspx). E. californicus has the orange W on the head (http://nathistoc....rnicus.htm) but does not occur in Germany. Sometimes it is mixed up with E. meridionalis. So I would say "Ectopsocus spec." in this case.
PS: Here is another American website with nice pictures, saying that E. briggsi and E. californicus look very similar - http://socalfauna...hp?id=2504.

Edited by Sundew on 14-12-2015 23:43

Posted by Lennart Bendixen on 15-12-2015 07:10

Many thanks, Sundew. The eyes' colour is a helpful character for further identifications, I think. Good to know this.

I can't find anything about the distribution of E. meridionalis within Germany (except that it's been reported from Hessen in 2001 for the first time). This would be interesting, because in Denmark (and Scandinavia) it's not reported yet and I'm not far away from the danish border. Regarding the map on Fauna Europaea it seems to be a more southern species, so this species would be rather unlikely. But this is only speculation and I better name it Ectopsocus sp. :-)

Edited by Lennart Bendixen on 15-12-2015 08:53

Posted by Sundew on 15-12-2015 12:57

Have a look at Lienhards's epic treatment that Paul gave us the link to! He writes: "E. meridionalis est moins commun dans la région méditerranéenne, malgré sa thermophilie apparemment assez prononcée (il est inconnu en Europe septentrionale).
Occasionnellement (en Europe centrale plus souvent que E. briggsi), E. meridionalis se rencontre dans les habitations humaines (caves humides etc.) où il est souvent introduit avec des fruits (pommes p. ex.)." Your nymph was in an apple - where did it come from?

Posted by Lennart Bendixen on 15-12-2015 15:51

You're right, and though I thought my French wasn't good enough, I think I understood the most.
My apple came from a tree in my parents' garden, 15 km southwards from here... ;-)